The days of Bali's largest and long-overfilled landfill are numbered. TPA Suwung is promised to close permanently by the end of December. This was supposed to happen back in 2022 before the G20 summit, but now the plan seems to be truly coming to fruition, as since August 2025, the landfill no longer accepts organic waste. Only inorganic waste and residual fractions can now be brought there.
This landfill received waste from Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, and Tabanan. The waste was deposited over an area of 32.4 hectares, regularly catching fire due to hot weather and droughts, affecting not only locals but also tourists with its unpleasant odor.
With the closure of this landfill, Bali will essentially abandon one of the oldest waste disposal systems — unorganized open dumping without processing. Delaying is no longer an option, as such waste treatment is now banned at the level of Indonesia's Ministry of Environmental Protection. In May 2025, the ministry issued Decree No. 921, which obligates regional authorities to close all such landfills.
It is necessary to switch to a new waste management method within 180 days, but Bali's authorities reacted quickly — in July, the governor signed an order outlining the step-by-step process for the final closure of TPA Suwung. This document was sent to the mayor of Denpasar and the regent of Badung.
For example, one of the steps was the partial closure of the landfill. For the past few weeks, it has already been impossible to bring organic waste there, but only on Wednesdays. Now the ban applies to the other days as well.
With the landfill's closure, city and district authorities will have no choice but to separate and process waste locally. To this end, capacity at existing waste sorting and recycling plants will be increased, new ones will be built, and restaurant, hotel, and villa owners will be required to process organic waste through composting.
Bali's government does not rule out that the decision to close the landfill may provoke discontent or resistance — both from waste operators and from businesses and residents. Therefore, an observation post is being set up at the landfill, where employees of Bali's Department of Environment will be on duty. Additionally, local police will increase patrols in Denpasar to prevent potential protests or unrest.
Moreover, Balinese authorities have threatened sanctions for those who continue to throw waste in ditches or deposit it by the roadside, violating the waste removal schedule.
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