Overload crisis at landfill sites and ecological injustice: A risk society perspective on affected peri-urban communities

Abstract

Background: This study examines the waste management crisis at TPA Klotok, Pojok Village, Mojoroto Sub-district, Kediri City, as a representation of socio-ecological problems arising from uncontrolled urbanization. Methods: Employing a qualitative case study approach within Ulrich Beck's Risk Society theoretical framework, this research analyzes the impact of the landfill's overload condition—persisting for more than three decades—on the buffer community of Kelurahan Pojok. Data were obtained through field observation and in-depth interviews with affected residents, supplemented by academic document reviews and government archives. Findings: The results indicate that the systemic transition from controlled landfill to open dumping has transformed Kelurahan Pojok into a sacrifice zone bearing a disproportionate share of the city's ecological burden. Residents face chronic exposure to respiratory disorders, groundwater contamination, odor pollution, and social space degradation—constituting a form of slow violence that erodes community well-being across generations. Government responses have remained ad hoc and technocratic, failing to address structural roots, while public participation was ignored from the landfill's inception. Conclusion: This study affirms that the TPA Klotok crisis is a manifestation of organized irresponsibility, demanding a paradigmatic shift toward ecological justice-based governance and meaningful community participation. Novelty/Originality of this article: This study offers a novel application of Beck's Risk Society framework to an underexplored peri-urban landfill context in Indonesia, revealing how manufactured uncertainty and organized irresponsibility operate at the intersection of local governance failure and ecological injustice.