Tidal Trash Washing Up On Bali’s Kedonganan Beach Concerns Restaurant Managers

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It is now all too common a site to see trash washing up on Bali’s southern beaches, especially during monsoon season.

This week restaurant managers who work along south Bali’s Kedonganan Beach have told reporters about the impact tidal trash, both organic and inorganic, has on their day-to-day operations. The insights from local business leaders come as leading environmental groups in Indonesia gather to discuss solutions to the issue of waste across Bali, Lake Toba in Sumatra, and Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara.

Speaking to reporters, restaurant managers at Kedonganan Beach explained that most waste that washes up on the stretch of the coast comes from outside the Kedonganan area. Kadek Suryana Putra, who works at Beachside Restro, explained that the tides of trash have been washing up on Kedonganan Beach since the beginning of the rainy season.

Putra said, “Actually, this garbage came ahead of the 2023 New Year, and on Chinese New Year, there is also a lot of garbage that is not from our area. This accumulation of garbage is very influential for us and also for other restaurant managers, especially for visiting tourists who really question the cleanliness of this beach.”

Putra revealed that tourism workers at Kedonganan Beach spent at least an hour a day cleaning the shoreline before tourists arrive to enjoy a day at the beach. He continued, “Hopefully, the government will help us in transporting the garbage that has been collected so that the waves won’t drag this garbage away again. In addition to the need for action from the government, public awareness is also needed.”

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The issue of waste management in Bali is a hot topic across the island. This week Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa (The Nation’s Children Can Foundation) launched the most recent intake of their program Catalyst Changemakers Ecosystem (CCE). The program is designed to bring together startups, civil society groups, and innovators to accelerate the implementation of circular economy solutions to create a waste-free Indonesia.

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The program is focused on finding solutions to the issues of waste management in leading tourist destinations like Bali, Lake Toba and Labuan Bajo. The Chairperson of Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa, Monica Oudang, told attendees of the online launch event “CCE is our way of realizing our commitment to accelerate the circular economy transition towards a waste-free Indonesia.

Through collaboration with impact makers, YABB implements ecosystem-based solutions that can generate innovations to solve problems systemically. To achieve this goal, CCE has three main activities, namely, Link Up, Sync Up, and Scale Up.”

The program focused on connecting stakeholders in waste management throughout the circular economy. With such huge issues to tackle that affect society and sectors across the board, CCE has selected to start this intake by looking at circular economy solutions related to the tourism sector due to its significance to the national economy.

The online event was also attended by the Deputy Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Angela Herliani Tanoesoedibjo, who gave an impassioned speech to attendees. She shared, “Nature is one of the biggest assets for Indonesian tourism. If we look at the five super priority destinations (DSP) today, people come because our nature is second to none. Therefore, we must really maintain the sustainability of nature, one of which is by handling waste. This must be a priority so that the economic value of tourism, which has a very large multiplier effect, can be passed on from generation to generation.”

Many argue that solutions can’t come quickly enough in Bali. A serious overspill of garbage at the processing facility in Denpasar hit the headlines locally this week. Damage to equipment at the Suwung Landfill in Denpasar meant that trash could not be processed in a timely manner meaning the garage overflowed onto the street. Local leaders assured the community that the issue would be ‘immediately handled’ as ordered by the city Mayor.