River in Banyuwangi Choked with Garbage Contaminated by Industrial Waste

BANYUWANGI, KOMPAS.com - A stretch of river over 200 meters long in Dusun Kalimati, Kedungrejo Village, Muncar Subdistrict, Banyuwangi, East Java, has gone viral on social media due to being clogged with garbage.

The video was first uploaded by Sungai Watch, showing heaps of trash covering the river flow, which has the potential to reach the ocean where local residents rely on for their livelihoods.

When confirmed, Banyuwangi Area Manager of Sungai Watch, Suhardiyanto, said that the trash in the river is difficult to clean up because it has become contaminated with industrial waste.

This condition makes some household plastic waste, which would still have economic value, no longer easy to collect and sort.

"If there was no industrial waste, it would still be possible. Many still have value—in other words, used drink bottles can still be picked up. But because they are contaminated with factory waste, no one wants to collect them," Suhardiyanto said on Saturday (9/19/2026).

So far, locals have been hesitant to enter the river directly for cleaning because contact with the water can cause skin itching.

Furthermore, the odor is very pungent. For this reason, cleaning requires special equipment.

The Sungai Watch team uses personal protective equipment (PPE), such as waders, gloves, and masks when conducting cleanup at the site.

Suhardiyanto explained that Sungai Watch had actually tried to handle the trash at this location in 2023 by installing nets.

For about three months, the nets were collected daily to haul away trapped trash.

On average, approximately 70 kilograms of waste were collected each day, sometimes exceeding 100 kilograms.

However, the effort was eventually discontinued because the removed trash caused new problems at the sorting facility.

The waste from Muncar was brought to Sungai Watch's warehouse in Rogojampi. The smell made it difficult to sort trash inside the warehouse, located near residential areas.

When the trash was dried outside, nearby residents also complained about the odor.

"So in the end, we couldn’t provide a solution, and we took back the nets," said Suhardiyanto.