Huge Efforts Ensure Bali’s Beaches Are Clean For Tourists

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Bali is battling against tides of plastic waste washing up on its shores.

From Jimbaran to Canggu, far more garbage is washing up on the island’s shores than is usual. 

Sadly, this is an annual occurrence. In the mid-to-latter end of the rainy season, tides upon tides of plastic waste get washed up onto the southern beaches of Bali.

The worst affected areas are typically between Jimbaran and Legian, though with wind pressures and directions changing every day, beaches all along the southern coast of the island have been hit over the years. 

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This year, it is the turn of Kedonganan Beach, which sits just north of Jimbaran Beach and has been the worst affected.

Clean-up operations have been underway to tackle trash tides from Kuta, Seminyak, and all the way down to Canggu. 

On Monday evening an unprecedented amount of trash washed up on Kedonganan Beach.

With more having been deposited, the waste now sitting on the shoreline and beach front of the fishing village and tourist resort is 10cm deep. 

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Speaking to reporters from the scene, Made Gede Dwipayana, Badung Environment and Hygiene Service (LHK) Marine Debris Evacuation Detection Coordinator, explained that there are one hundred cleaning officers deployed to try to clean up the rubbish that has piled up over the last few days.

However, the clean-up operation is not as efficient as it could be since the whole process is being undertaken by hand. Dwipayana revealed that the loader which was supposed to be sent to the location is damaged.

He explained, “Our initial plan was to bring two heavy loaders to speed up the cleaning process. However, there were technical problems in the form of damage to the machine, which forced us to postpone the use of heavy equipment.”

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The Clean Up Coordinator confirmed that he and his teams are bracing for more waste to be deposited onto Kedonganan Beach and Jimbaran Beach in the coming days.

Dwipayana said, “This is not the first phenomenon, but it is a regular occurrence every year. “If the west wind waste is on Kedonganan Beach, it will definitely be plastic waste; if it’s south of Jimbaran, it will definitely be wood waste, and that’s normal.”

While the Environment and Hygiene Service operators are working away to tackle the crisis, Bali’s Sungai Watch team and volunteers are also joining the effort.

Clean-up missions for volunteers from the public are being run on Wednesday 20th, and Thursday 21st, from 7 am until 3 pm. 

Upsetting footage shows local fishermen filleting their catch on a bed of plastic waste that has washed up on the shore of Kedonganan Beach.

The communities of Jimbaran and Kedonganan are heavily reliant on income from fishing; speaking to reporters earlier this week, local rational fishermen explained that the tides of ocean plastic had been steadily depleting fish stocks in the area for years. 

Over in Canggu, teams are once again rallying together to help ensure Bali’s beaches are clean for tourists and the local community.

Teams from the Badung Regency Civil Service joined together to clean trash from Canggu’s famous Batu Bolong Beach. 

Batu Bolong Beach is one of Bali’s busiest and most popular beach escapes at the moment. With a huge influx of tourists visiting the stretch of coast for relaxing, surfing, and partying, officials are committed to ensuring the area remains a clean and positive space for tourists to enjoy. 

The Head of the Badung Civil Service told reporters, “We are carrying out this activity as a joint effort to participate in maintaining cleanliness in the Batu Bolong Beach area because it is an asset for tourism in Badung Regency.”