Jakarta. The Environment  Ministry has issued a stern warning to 343 city and regency governments that are still operating final waste disposal sites using the open dumping method.

If no improvements are made within six months, the respective regional heads could face up to four years in prison and fines of up to Rp 10 billion (approximately USD 630,000).

"Who will be held criminally responsible? We are targeting the highest local policy makers. The ones responsible are the regents or mayors," said Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq at the event “SDGs: Utilizing and Protecting the Environment in the Age of Technology” held in Tawangmangu, Karanganyar in Central Java, on Tuesday.

A total of 343 landfill sites across Indonesia still operating under the open dumping method will be closely monitored. The government has already imposed administrative sanctions as an initial measure to prompt local governments to improve their waste management systems.

“If there is no serious effort to change, then a minimum sentence of four years in prison and a fine of Rp 10 billion will be applied,” he added.

This policy refers to Articles 44 and 55 of Law No. 18 of 2008 on Waste Management, which explicitly prohibit open dumping waste practices.

The government is also preparing long-term solutions for regions dealing with daily waste accumulation exceeding 1,000 tons by constructing waste-to-energy facilities.

The project will be overseen directly by the President and is a result of inter-ministerial collaboration under the coordination of the State Secretary.

“Environmentally friendly waste-to-energy processing is now a national priority,” he said.

Despite the heavy penalties, the government will still prioritize a persuasive approach. If there is no significant progress over time, then repressive legal action, starting with a maximum one-year prison sentence, will be enforced gradually.

“Criminal sanctions are not applied immediately. We’re implementing a low-repressive and curative approach before entering the criminal domain,” he concluded.