Bali Wants To Give Trash A Rebranding To Save Tourism 

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Leaders in Bali want to encourage the community to see trash not simply as waste but as an opportunity for economic growth.

The Bali Province Regional Secretary is inviting the public to change their mindset regarding waste to help save tourism. 

Speaking at the recent National Clean Action event in Tahura Ngurah Rai in south Bali, the Bali Province Regional Secretary (Sekda) Dewa Made Indra called on the public to change their mindset about waste and trash. He wants to put a stop to the public ‘carelessly’ throwing away trash. 

Indra told the audience, “In Bali, we are still continuing to work on the waste problem by building TPST/TPS3R in villages, with the hope that villages can manage their own waste and not pollute other villages.”

“We are still continuing to encourage this, because Bali is a window to world tourism. So the waste problem is a crucial issue which we are currently continuing to deal with.”

@futureswell We spent the day cleaning up mountains of trash in Bali. Check out what we learned on YouTube! #oceancleanup ♬ original sound – FutureSwell

TPST/TPS3R are local recycling and waste management stations. These are the same stations that were set to replace open landfill sites when they were officially closed in 2022, however, all landfills are still accepting waste and in light of trash fires in October and November last year, more have even been opened. 

Bali does not deny that it has issues with waste management and is calling on the support of the tourism sector to help tackle the problem.

For the foreseeable further much of the revenue generated by the Bali Tourism Tax will be invested in solving the trash problem on the island.

The funds have been allocated to cultural preservation, nurturing nature, and leveling tourism infrastructure. Waste management falls into the latter two categories. 

@sambencheghib

Bali’s main landfills are burning and trash is being sent to the Village I live in… Bali, we need better waste management! We need long-term, sustainable solutions to manage our waste and not this bandaid solution to dump in a small village.

♬ original sound – sambencheghib

Indra and other key stakeholders want to see a nationwide move towards circular economies. This would not only help clean up Bali, improve public health and environmental health, and improve the region from a tourism perspective but would also create more economic opportunities for the people of Bali. 

In a speech broadcast at the National Clean Action in Bali, Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya, said that up to 36% of Indonesia’s waste is not being managed properly.

She noted that data trends show that while 64% of annual waste production in Indonesia is handled properly, the 36% could not go unaddressed. 

@punapibali PANTAI KUTA PENUH SAMPAH PLASTIK PAGI INI Kondisi terkini di kawasan Pantai Kuta, banyak sampah plastik yang menepi dan memenuhi pesisir pantai pagi ini, Kamis (19/1). 📽️ @masa_sevenseas #punapibali #fypbali #fyp ♬ original sound – Punapibali

Nurbaya said, “This trend must be abandoned [in favor of] the principles of a circular economy, namely regenerating natural systems, design in waste management, and we take products and materials that can be used with a strategy of reducing, then reusing and circulating.”

Thankfully, in many ways, Bali is ahead of the curve.

Organizations like Desa Potato Head, which is a resort and beach club, are also home to an innovation hub where entrepreneurs, creators, and environmental designers are creating all kinds of products from resources that would otherwise go to waste. 

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A post shared by Potato Head (@potatoheadbali)

Sungai Watch, one of Bali’s most impactful environmental groups, has been cleaning up trash from the island’s waterways and green landscapes for the last three years.

The organization has just launched a new company, Sungai Design, which sells products made entirely from waste recovered from Bali’s rivers. 

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A post shared by Sungai Watch (@sungaiwatch)

Starting with chair designs, Sungai Design say “We’re on a mission to up-cycle as much river plastic into beautiful, long-lasting products to help fund river cleanups around the world.”

Adding “By up-cycling river plastic into valuable products, Sungai Design is paving the way for a new era of sustainable design and products.” 

The Bali Provincial Government appears to be on board.

The acting governor of Bali, Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, took part in a Sungai Watch river clean-up himself to see the extent of the issue from his own eyes.

He committed 50-70% of tourism tax funds to waste management solutions.