Bali is facing huge changes in the way it manages its trash. While this may not seem like much of an issue for the average tourist, the changes will have a huge impact on the way in which hotels, villas, cafes, restaurants, and beach clubs process their waste. It will certainly result in noticeable changes for tourists sooner rather than later.
The Indonesian Government has called for Bali’s biggest open landfill, the Suwung TPA, to be closed once and for all. The landfill site, which has already been operating at capacity for years, was due to be closed in November 2022 by the G20 Summit.
However, as the years have gone on, the site has continued to accept tonnes upon tonnes of waste every single day.
A radical change is needed, and the Indonesian government has put new orders in place stating that Bali’s landfill sites, known as TPAs, will no longer accept waste from the tourism sector.
The Director of Waste Management for the Ministry of Environment, Norma Tahar, visited Bali earlier this month and confirmed that while dialogues remain ongoing, there is no turning back on closing Suwung TPA at this time.
Tahar stated, “We will intensively discuss land options outside Denpasar and Badung Regency. Hopefully, in the near future, we will come to a permanent decision which is fixed.”
The site is a major public health risk, especially as the rainy season approaches; with the mountain of trash sitting at 35m ground level, there are risks of trash landslides.
As the site becomes drier before the rains fully arrive, it poses a huge fire risk, as seen in October 2024. When the rains do arrive, the risk of flooding in the area is increased too.
The new policy to block waste from the hospitality sector entering Bali’s landfill sites has been given backing by the Chairman of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Badung I Gusti Agung Ngurah Rai Suryawijaya.
He told reporters, “It’s not a problem for us in the hotel sector because we are used to sorting waste. Plastic waste can be processed into other products, so this step should have been done.”
He praised the policy for helping to push forward the mission to create more sustainable and eco-friendly tourism in Bali.
Suryawijaya noted, “We support better waste management so that there is a significant change, and this is important for the Bali that we love. The problems of waste, traffic jams, infrastructure, and water availability are big challenges that need to be addressed in the future.”
Suryawijaya shared that Badung Regency alone has more than 4,000 registered tourism accommodation businesses ranging from 5-star hotels to family-run B&Bs.
Around 71% of the total 160,000 accommodation rooms in Bali are located in the Badung area. He also shared that hotels in Badung are likely to agree with this policy.
Badung Regency is home to Bali’s most famous resorts, including Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Seminyak, Kuta, Jimbaran, and Uluwatu.
Suryawijaya shared his hopes that the new central Government and the new incoming governor and provincial Government will be able to take big strides in improving the all-important infrastructure that enables Bali to be a world-class tourism destination.
He told reporters, “The Government as a regulator, the industry as an executor, and the community as a supporter must collaborate with each other.”
“Whoever will become a leader later must have a commitment to maintaining Bali, both from the physical and spiritual side and developing Bali as a whole.”
On the 27th of November, Bali will vote to decide who the new governor of the province will be.
The decision is between Wayan Koster, who has already served one term, and Made Muliawan Arya, who is often known by his nickname De Gajah.
Both have spoken about trash, tourism, and traffic congestion on the campaign trail so far.
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