Indonesia To Investigate Source Of Bali’s Tidal Trash Issues At Top Tourist Beaches

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Following accusations that the tides of plastic trash washing up on Bali’s beaches can be traced back to East Java, Indonesian leaders are launching an investigation.

During the rainy season in Bali, tonnes upon tonnes of ocean debris and inorganic waste washed up on Bali’s busiest tourist beaches. 

Speaking to reporters, the Deputy Governor of East Java, Emil Elestianto Dardak, confirmed that the East Java Provincial Government will follow up on statements issued by the Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, who claimed that much of the waste polluting beaches in Bali comes from East Java. 

Deputy Governor Dardak explained, “I’ll check first. If it’s an inter-regional situation like that, the discussion should be directly between the Governor of Bali and the Governor of East Java, and the Deputy Governor of East Java and the Deputy Governor of Bali. Frankly, I haven’t heard anything directly; we’ll see.”

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Governor Koster and other agency leaders and political figures in Bali have long blamed East Java for the tides of waste that are deposited on Bali’s shores throughout the rainy season. However, the ocean currents are known to reach Bali’s shores from other areas of the archipelago too, including Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Sulawesi.

Governor Koster recently told the media, “Every year, during the heavy rainy season, Bali is not only polluted by the waste we produce ourselves, but also by the influx of waste shipped in from outside the region. This occurs between December and February.”

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The outcome of the investigation remains to be seen, but many environmentalists and local community members are less concerned about pinning fingers and more focused on stopping the tides of trash and improving cleanup operations. In the last week alone, Public Hygiene teams have removed more than 200 tonnes of waste from Kuta Beach.

Tides of trash are typically at their most intense in late December and early January, just as Bali has a huge influx of tourists for the festive season.

The Bali Provincial Government Agencies have confirmed that they are working to improve waste management systems and are planning to ensure that the island’s most popular tourist beaches stay as clean as possible for the community. 

The clean-up team will be on standby across the popular tourist beaches of the southern coast to help remove tides of trash as quickly as possible. 

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Speaking to reporters last week, the Head of the Cleanliness and Hazardous Waste Management Division of the Badung DLHK, Anak Agung Gede Dalem, confirmed that teams have been deployed across Jimbaran, Kuta, Legian, and Smeinyak.

The operation is sizable, with 6 loaders, 2 beach-cleaning units, 2 diggers, and 5 trucks on standby every day. This is in addition to 41 trash trucks that can be deployed if garbage volume increases.

Dalem explained to reporters, “DLHK Badung stated that it is ready to deploy 300 cleaning personnel, while the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) is ready to deploy 1,500 personnel to assist in handling if there is a surge in garbage shipments.”

Typically, the worst-affected beaches are Jimbaran and Kuta, with trash washing up on Legian, Seminyak, and the beaches of Canggu, too. The debris is often a combination of organic and inorganic waste, including driftwood and tree trunks.

Tourists planning vacations in these areas during this rainy season are advised that on days when tides of trash are recorded, crews will work to clean up the beachfront from the early hours until the late morning.

Beaches always remain open to the public during these clean-up operations, and generally, the beach looks back to normal by mid-afternoon. Some local NGOs and community groups also host beach clean-up events that tourists are welcome to attend, should they wish to support.