It is rare for us here at The Bali Sun to report positive news from Bali on waste management.
We wish it weren’t the case, we want to be reporting on positive stories all day, every day. Thankfully, this week, there is some good news coming from Bali about waste management that is giving us all, tourists included, a glimmer of hope.
Bali’s issues with waste management are well-documented. With the provincial government set to close the island’s biggest open landfill is set to close once and for all by the end of July.
Back in April, the site stopped accepting mixed and organic waste, which triggered a swathe of problems out in the community.
One of the biggest issues right now is that there is not sufficient infrastructure to support the transition to a full zero-waste or circular-based system.
A new Waste to Energy facility is set to be built that will tackle most of the province’s problems, but that won’t even start to be constructed for months, and won’t open until the end of 2027.
While there are recycling facilities across communities in Bali, these sites cannot contend with the volume of waste that is being produced both by households and by businesses.
Bali’s Kutuh Village, best known for tourist attractions like Pandawa Beach, has spoken to the media this week to confirm that they have successfully solved their community’s trash problem.
Kutuh Village is home to a Tebo Kauh Reuse, Reduce, Recycle Waste Processing Facility (TPS3R), and now claims to have implemented the zero-waste practice across the community, meaning waste is disposed of at the source without burdening other areas.
Speaking to reporters, the Head of Kutuh Village, Wayan Mudana, said that waste management efforts had actually begun in 2021 and that finally the system has found a balance point. It has taken five years for the community to establish adequate processing facilities and the supporting system across the village, so waste management can be carried out in the most efficient way.
Mudana told reporters, “Since 2021, we’ve been trying to manage waste effectively without polluting other villages. But it’s not easy; honestly, managing waste isn’t easy.”
According to Mudana, this whole approach has been a team effort, across the community, with businesses and with government agencies. He noted that waste management at the TPS3R is supported by the likes of the Family Welfare Movement (PKK), Community Empowerment Institutions (LPM), traditional village council, and other community groups.
He explained how the zero-to-landfill approach has been possible by creating change through incentives within the community. Mudana shared, “Now we have TPS3R. There’s a plastic exchange program there, where residents can collect waste that has economic value.”
Perhaps one of the biggest takeaways from Kutuh Village, for both local communities and international residents in Bali, is that the village developed a modern composting program and distributed compost bins to the community.
The program allows organic waste to be handled directly at home, thereby reducing the processing burden at the TPS3R and, in turn, at the big landfill sites across the province.
Kutuh Village has also scaled the waste management system; only a year or so ago, the volume of waste handled ranged from 9 to 12 tons per day, but now it reaches around 15 to almost 20 tons per day.
This volume includes both household waste and waste from various businesses and accommodations in the Kutuh Village area.
He shared, “All waste in Kutuh Village is our responsibility. We do not accept waste from other villages.” Adding “Now, the waste in Kutuh Village is clean. It no longer pollutes other villages and is no longer sent to Suwung or other locations.”
He noted, “The biggest challenge is human resources and the public mindset. How to change the perception that waste is a shared responsibility, not just the government’s.”
Concluding, “We hope the community will continue to support source-based waste management. Let’s work together to keep Kutuh Village zero waste, because waste is our shared responsibility.”
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