The South Denpasar Suwung Rubbish Dump (TPA Suwung) is scheduled to be closed in gradual phases starting in August 2025.
As reported by Kompas.com, the towering, more than 35-meter-high mountain of decaying trash covering 32.48 hectares is visible in South Bali from the entrance to Benoa Harbor and the Bali Mandara Toll Highway. Depending on the wind direction, the stench of the TPA is discernible over large areas of south Bali, emanating from accumulated mountains of rubbish that get supplemented daily by an average of 3,600 cubic tons of “new” trash.
Beginning in August, Suwung will stop accepting “organic” trash, which is seen as a threat to public health and the environment.
“The plan is that starting this August, the Suwung Landfill will no longer accept organic waste. So, mothers must immediately prepare,” announced the Ambassador of Palemahan Kedas Source-Based Waste Management (PSBS PADAS), Putri Koster, speaking in Denpasar on Saturday, 05 July 2025. Putri Koster is the wife of Bali Governor Wayan Koster,
Putri Koster told her listeners that current conditions in Bali are very different from those in 1980. “I remember, at that time, waste could be handled at the household level because the volume, especially plastic waste, was not like it is now,” she said. In 1984, the government initiated a new management system by establishing a landfill in the Suwung area. However, waste from a wide range of sources was transported and dumped into the landfill without adequate prior management, creating a worrying mountain of garbage.
While the Provincial Department for the Environment (DLH) employs 360 officers to coordinate activities at waste disposal sites, Putri Koster emphasized the importance of resolving waste problems at their respective sources. “Household waste should be disposed of at home, waste from places of worship should be disposed of on-site, and the same applies to markets, schools, and other sources,” she stressed.
The central government in Jakarta issued a letter on 24 June 2025, warning Bali to close the Suwung Landfill with immediate effect. In that letter of instruction, Bali was given 180 days to close the landfill, meaning that by 24 December 2025, the Suwung Landfill must be closed.
Meanwhile, Dr. Luh Riniti Rahayu, the Coordinator of the working group to limit single-use plastic (PSP) and coordinate the management of waste according to its place of origin (PSBS), revealed that the continuing existence of the Suwung Landfill now violates the law due to the serious threat it poses to the environment.
Continuing, Rahayu said: “The mountain of trash has reached a height of 35 meters, covering a land area of 32.4 meters. This is causing horrendous pollution. Controlling this has become a pressing ‘super priority.’ Bali’s trash situation is now dangerously critical.”
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