Bali Urges Residents To Take Action To Resolve Island’s Waste Problem

Share The Article

Waste management is a longstanding topic of conversation for the Bali Provincial Government. Being an island with limited space and limited resources, Bali has made bold pledges to close down landfill sites and convert to a strict reduce, reuse, and recycle policy in the last two years.  

Ahead of the G20 Summit that will be held in Nusa Dua in November, Bali’s Deputy Governor, Tjokorda Oka Arta Ardhana Sukawati, also known as Cok Ace, has discussed with members of the Indonesian House of Representatives to establish what can be done to tackle the issue further.

According to Deputy Governor Cok Ace, the waste problem across Bali is a ‘ticking time bomb’ if there is no change in the ‘paradigm of waste management, especially around the collection, transportation, and disposal of waste’.

Ace told reporters after the meeting, ‘Because waste management must be started and carried out by all parties, especially those from waste producers such as households, hotels, schools, offices, industries and other public places’. He urged communities and households to take more responsibility for sorting their waste to help support the system at large. 

Top 5 Travel Insurance Plans For 2023 Starting At $10 Per Week

Easily Earn Points For Free Travel

He highlighted how simply sorting organic from inorganic waste would make a huge difference to the larger system. He talked about how this process needs to be applied within households using ‘environmentally friendly technology’, for example, in-home or garden composting bins.

Cok Ace then confirmed that communities could use the increased compost to improve farmland or send it to government facilities, where they will distribute it amongst farming communities as a part of the island’s organic agriculture and food security programs. 

According to Member of the Legislative Body of the DPR RI, Ferdiansyah, data shows that Bali ranks 3rd in all Indonesian provinces for good management of waste and operating clean systems. He suggested that Bali should work hard to remain a front-runner in the country as an example of how waste management systems can be transported for the public good. He said, ‘if the waste is managed with the right system, the waste will also turn into energy and blessings’. 

Member of the House, Dapil I Nyoman Parta, told the room that all parties and stakeholders must work together to create a healthy environment for everyone in Bali. He said, ‘Starting from households, private communities, industry, hotels, restaurants, markets and all that is on this earth must be involved to be environmentally aware and not littering, so keeping the environment clean from garbage is the responsibility of all of us’. 

Bali has a lot of work on its hand when it comes to waste management. Tourism is a notoriously wasteful sector. While the industry leans towards sustainable practices, welcoming up to 6 million extra people to the island every year creates more waste to be dealt with.

Then at a local level, communities and households must play an active role in waste management, whether by creating compositing sites for organic waste or ensuring that inorganic material does not get thrown into waterways that quickly become blocked and polluted. 

This week the southern beaches, especially Kuta Beach, have been hit by a tide of ocean plastic waste washing up on the shore. Head of Kuta Beach Task Force, I Wayan Sirna told reporters that teams were on standby to deal with the onslaught of waste that would wash up on the shoreline. Sirna explained, ‘There is no effect of this garbage with the number of tourist visits because they already know about the west wind phenomenon and the intensity of rain at the end of the year which can bring garbage to this beach’. 

He said, ‘To overcome this problem, we usually coordinate with the relevant agencies so that the waste can be cleaned immediately. Because per day, the amount of waste can reach 8 trucks to 10 trucks’.