The Provincial Government of Bali, ordered by the Central Government in Jakarta to absolutely close the massive Rubbish Dump in Suwung, South Denpasar has declared that the population centers in South Bali will now haul their rubbish to the Regency of Bangli to the north.
The major decision to relocate the Island’s main rubbish dump has apparently been taken without any consultation or consensus involving the people and administration of Bangli. As a result, a growing chorus of protests from those living in Bangli Regency
Radarbali calculates that plans to transfer the location of Bali’s main rubbish dump from South Denpasar to Landih in North Bangli, starting in January 2026, would require 190 dump trucks to make a two-hour one-way trip covering 58 kilometers. Reports on social media and the local press in Bali indicate that plans to relocate the rubbish dump to North Bangli are increasingly unpopular.
The unpopularity of the plan is further underlined by Regional Parliamentarian (DPRD-Bali), Made Joko Arnawa, who was quoted in the press on Friday, 26 December 2025, who said he is worried about the social and environmental impact of the plan to relocate the rubbish dump to TPA Landih and believes the opposition will grow and the entry of the dump trucks to Bangli will be physically impeded.
Arnawa also expressed his disappointment that, in his capacity as a member of the DPRD representing Bangli Regency, he has not been approached by the Regent of Bangli to discuss the controversial plan for the rubbish dump in Ladih-Bangli. Arnawa emphasized that a statement by the Chairman of the DPRD-Bangli, Ketut Suastika, giving a green light to the Landih-Bangli rubbish dump does not constitute the Regional legislature’s consensus. Adding: “The chairman of the DPRD-Bangli has expressed his personal opinion and not spoken on behalf of the DPRD. In other words, as a member of the legislature and based on the public’s aspirations, I reject the plan.”
Joko Arnawa went on to say that as an upstream, mountainous area, it is both illegal and a violation of Bali-Hindu philosophical beliefs to dispose of trash in areas held in spiritual and sacred regard.
Joko Arnawa questioned why Bangli continues to be negatively stigmatized by the Provincial Administration? He lamented that Bangli, as the locale for the Island’s main insane asylum and main narcotics prison, is now also being targeted as the Island’s Center for garbage disposal.
“Why does Bangli only get the worst? They’re already the insane, junkies in a drug prison, and now they’re giving us the Island’s trash,” Arnawa quipped.
With 255,000 people living in Bangli, the Regent is being called upon to be more transparent in its policies regarding the disposal of trash in Bangli.
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