Bali’s battle with waste management is no secret. From open landfills to tides of plastic trash and rivers blocked with debris, leaders in Bali are acutely aware that more needs to be done to tackle the problem, especially in the island’s leading tourism resorts.
Leaders in Bali have made the controversial decision to burn plastic waste that washed up on Labuan Sait Beach in Uluwatu on Wednesday 26th March.
The clean up operation was held ahead of the Melasti Ceremony, a ritual procession and ceremony that happens ahead of the Balinese holy day of silence known as Nyepi.
Speaking to reporters the Coordinator of Marine Waste Detection and Evacuation of the Badung LHK Service I Made Gde Dwipayana, confirmed that he had deployed 70 personnel to help with the cleanup operation. The tide of waste contained mostly plastic waste and driftwood.
Dwipayana told reporters “The total waste that we transported at Labuan Sait Beach is around 7 trucks or 14 tons. Can’t be brought up, have to be burned, what can be used is not burned.”
He added “In the past, I rented a pulley to transport wood waste to the top, but the process took a long time, because there was a lot of garbage. So the use of this pulley is not effective, because the time is running out.”
Dwipayana noted that plastic waste was collected into sacks and removed from the beach and was not burned. The same tide of waste also hit the famous Dreamland Beach. He shared “Dreamland Beach has almost the same obstacles. Later after Nyepi maybe we will be attention.”
He explained that a community effort is underway, known as gotong royong, to clean up Bali ahead of the festival season. Dwipayana said “Our neighborhood roads and beaches are cleaned before Pemelastian. We involved all of them so that more than a thousand people came down directly to gotong royong.”
He confirmed that even though the beach is now clean, the garbage evacuation process at Labuan Sait Beach is still a challenge for his teams.
Smaller pieces of driftwood such as twigs have been burned, though larger pieces of wood must be cut with a chainsaw, then manually carried to the area near a dry river to be burned. He confirmed that the full clean-up operation should be completed before Galungan Festival begins on 23rd April 2025.
Labuan Sait Beach is not the only beach to have been hit with a tide of plastic waste this week. Though the monsoon season in Bali is coming to a close, and with the reduction in the amount of plastic tides washing up on Bali’s shores, the final throws of the season are dragging on.
Bali’s Samigita Beach, which is the local name for the stretch of coastline that runs from Kuta Beach through to Seminyak Beach, has also been hit with plastic waste and driftwood, along with Jimbraran and Kedonganan Beach. Dwipayana has confirmed that each beach has seen 10-20 tonnes of debris washed up in the last three days alone.
Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Dwipayana shared “It was safe for two weeks, but now the shipment has reappeared in all coastal zones.”
He confirmed that he and his teams will clean the streets on the night before Nyepi Day after the Ogoh-Ogoh parades have been completed, but that any debris that washes up on the beaches on the night of the 28th March will have to wait until the 30th March to be cleaned up.
Dwipayana told reporters “During the night of the Nyepi celebration, we will focus on cleaning the road to clean up the dirty area. Later after the retreat, we will return to the beach.”
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Exp
Saturday 29th of March 2025
In Denpasar there is a fine of 50 juta or 3m jail for throwing or burning trash. Nobody cares and instead openly break the law all the time.
Nearby subak in south Denpasar is used by locals to dispose of their trash bags. When water flow is turned off then the subak (drain channel) is full of rotting garbage. Why do they want to live like this? Where is the dignity and initiative to do better?
Steve bm
Monday 31st of March 2025
@Exp, so many in rural areas don't get a dime don't benefit in any tourism money so simply don't care or consider it a problem, as well many have never been to dpsor any idea around rubbish but I see the pitafull pickup trucks have stepped up in my banjar but not everyday so the night dogs rip it open every night when you go market early there's a he'll of a mess everywhere. Shoot any dog without a collar
J West
Friday 28th of March 2025
I mentioned this 'Trash Travesty' just weeks ago .... " The beach trash doesn't leave the island" I wrote..it gets burned in the landfill, and the plastic beach trash that came down from upcountry villages ...becomes a deadly cancerous pollution raining down on everyone....even in your sleep you're breathing poison. But you had fun right? you danced and swam..increasing your heart rate causing your lungs to suck in even higher amounts of the poison....ak ak...slight cough started within days ...hack hack... not getting better.
I love the phrase "Death from Above". So appropriate..so befitting the horror of arriving on Bali in a bikini and a head full of zombie...only to learn upon returning home that your holiday cough is a pulmonary disease....you're dying ..sad doctor face with lung cancer...so spiritual...?
Steve bm
Sunday 30th of March 2025
@J West, before people jump on J west...he is right. This rubbish doesn't fall from the sky. It gets burnt but more often goes in a hole specifically dug. I did hear the next project coming out of DPS is sending it to space with international space stations setting up all around bali to beam it up to Scotty. All the car wrecks and rubble from the bali bombing was sent out to deep water and deep sixed to get rid of it now that's a true story not many know about
Viktor Z
Saturday 29th of March 2025
@J West
Based on the wacky sentences you should see a doctor soon 🙃
Clark
Friday 28th of March 2025
Why is Bali Government not buying beach cleaning machines? And proper carbage trucks? Here's an example of a beach cleaning machine pulled by a normal tractor. It cleans 7000m2/hour of the beach sand. LINKWhere is the tourism tax money going? I came to Kuta first time in year 2002. Now 23 years later situation is still the same regarding trash at beaches? Why no action has been taken? What is preventing it? All needed technology and information is available for beach cleaning. Thank you for taking action now!
arthur
Friday 28th of March 2025
the solution? more people to clean!
ahahahah
Bali is a joke....
Solo59
Friday 28th of March 2025
Love to see a pastic recycle plant in bali turning this waste into furniture, road base, automotive bumpers or parts, the options could be endless . Burning is not the best option due to its toxicity. Or build a power generation system burning off all waste with a multi system catalyst , no smoke, no smell, no pollution