Raising a Stink Over Waste Disposal in Bali

A growing public uproar over the noxious fumes emanating from the recently opened Coordinated Waste Management Depot (TPST) in the Village of Kesiman Kertalanggu, East Denpasar, has provoked a response from the Municipal Government of Denpasar. As reported by NusaBali.com, the Deputy Mayor of Denpasar, I Kadek Arya Wibawa, convened a meeting in the Community Hall (Bale) of Banjar Biaung, Kesiman Kertalanggu on the evening of Friday, 21 July 2023.

Arya Wibawa proclaimed the public meeting was held to find a solution that would prove “win-win” for all parties.

Wibawa explained that waste management is of central concern for the Municipal Government of Denpasar. Nonetheless, he said the City Government is also concerned with the complaints from the public about noxious smells from the waste-disposal facility permeating the local communities in Kesiman Kertalanggu. Adding: “The reason the government is attending the meeting at Banjar Biaung is to meet with the public and discuss how to find the best solution so that the management of rubbish is done in an optimal manner that does not disturb the public.”

As a temporary solution, Arya Wibawa said the Municipal Government of Denpasar will temporarily halt trash delivery to the TPST Kertalanggu Facility while awaiting the arrival of new machinery.

PT Bali CMPP manages the TPST Kertalanggu and is touted as a leading Indonesian Waste Management Company. PT BALI CMPP is reiterating its commitment to managing Denpasar’s waste in an environmentally and odorless way.

While awaiting the promised improvements, trash is now diverted to the over-loaded Suwung Rubbish Tip (TPA Suwung) in South Denpasar. 

Denpasar’s Deputy Mayor, Arya Wibawa, told the press: “We need to remind PT Bali CMPP, as the managers of TPST, to work in keeping with the promises made to the public and the government. In the near future, hopefully, the problems of noxious smells and optimally managing the facility.”

As reported by NusaBali.com, before the meeting with the deputy mayor, residents living in the area surrounding the Kertalanggu TPST had erected a banner protesting the smell produced by the facility. Using a play on words, the banner erected on Friday, 21 July 2023, complained the smells coming from the waste management plant had transformed a “cultural Village into an odious sub-culture.” Cynically adding: “We the people reject rotten promises that stink.”

The TPST was inaugurated on 13 March 2023, plagued from the start with equipment malfunctions, smoke stacks emitting billowing clouds of noxious fumes, and questions on how the plant operators handle wastewater.

Plans to hold a protest march scheduled for Sunday, 23 July 2023, were called off following the “peace-making visit” by the Deputy Mayor.

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