WasteManagement MineWasteManagement LandfillEngineering MiningInfrastructure IndonesiaInfrastructure

Indonesia’s waste and mining slopes under pressure: Deadly landfill collapse in Bekasi and industrial landslide in Morowali

Massive waste mounds at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Site in Bekasi, West Java. The landfill receives thousands of tonnes of municipal waste from Jakarta every day, forming steep waste slopes that can become unstable during periods of intense rainfall. Source: Channels Television (image by BAY ISMOYO / AFP)

A major waste landslide at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Site (TPST) in Bekasi, West Java, has resulted in multiple fatalities and renewed concerns about landfill stability at one of Southeast Asia’s largest waste disposal facilities.

The incident occurred on 8 March 2026, when a large mound of municipal waste collapsed in Zone IV of the landfill, sending tonnes of refuse sliding onto nearby roads, trucks, and small structures operating at the site. The collapse occurred at approximately 14:30 local time while trucks were queuing to unload waste transported from Jakarta.

Authorities confirmed that 13 people were present in the immediate area at the time of the failure. Six individuals managed to escape, while seven people were killed after being buried under the waste mass. The final victim was recovered late Monday night, after which search and rescue operations were officially concluded.

A closer look at the massive waste mounds at the Bantargebang Integrated Waste Processing Site in Bekasi, West Java. Source: CNA

Emergency response teams deployed 354 personnel from multiple agencies, including Basarnas Jakarta, police and military units, the Bekasi Fire and Rescue Department, the Bekasi Disaster Mitigation Agency, medical teams, and volunteers.

Officials believe the landslide was triggered by prolonged and intense rainfall, which allowed water to infiltrate the large waste mound and reduce its stability. Rainfall in the region reportedly reached 264 mm in a single day, saturating the waste mass and contributing to the collapse.

The Bantargebang landfill serves as Jakarta’s primary waste disposal site, receiving approximately 7,500–7,800 tonnes of waste daily from more than 1,200 trucks. Over decades of operation, waste piles have grown to heights of around 40 metres, creating steep slopes susceptible to failure under adverse weather conditions.

Rescue operations at the Bantargebang landfill following the March 2026 waste landslide that buried trucks, roadside stalls and workers operating at the site. Source: Xinhua

Second Landslide Disrupts Nickel Production in Morowali

The Bekasi disaster was followed by another landslide incident in Indonesia, this time affecting the country’s nickel processing industry.

At the Morowali Industrial Park in Sulawesi, a landslide at a waste disposal area caused casualties and forced four Chinese-owned nickel processing plants to temporarily halt operations. The shutdown was necessary to allow recovery efforts and restoration work at the affected disposal site.

Nickel processing infrastructure at Morowali Industrial Park, where a landslide at a waste disposal area forced several plants to temporarily halt operations. Source: Bloomberg

Morowali is one of the largest nickel production hubs in the world, playing a critical role in the global supply chain for electric vehicle batteries and stainless steel manufacturing.

Slope Stability Risks in Rapidly Expanding Industrial Systems

Although the two incidents occurred in different sectors, municipal waste management and mineral processing, they highlight a common engineering challenge: the stability of large anthropogenic slopes formed by waste or industrial by-products. Both landfill waste mounds and mining tailings or disposal piles behave as heterogeneous granular materials, whose stability can be strongly influenced by water infiltration, slope geometry, drainage conditions, and operational controls.

Sources: ua.news, channelnewsasia.com, theonlinecitizen.com, www.bernama.com, aa.com.tr