It is an all-hands-on-deck situation down at Kuta Beach right now. With tides upon tides of plastic waste and ocean debris landing on the shoreline, it is clear that drastic action needs to be taken.
The issue has caught the attention of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, and Bali Governor Koster has just launched a dedicated task force to tackle the problem.
Earlier this week, following yet more tides of waste washing up in Kuta and Jimbaran, Bali Governor Wayan Koster told reporters, “I will form a task force to guard the beach, so that as soon as trash arrives, it can be cleaned immediately.”
He added, “In December 2025, January and early February 2026, as long as it rains, the waste will arrive from outside the area very quickly due to the strong currents.”
Governor Koster continued, “Based on the President’s directive, we will immediately gather the Head of the Environment Agency, the Head of the Regional Disaster Management Agency, the Head of the Education Agency, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and the Indonesian National Police. Once we return, we will immediately form a task force.”
On Tuesday, 3rd February, a community clean-up operation was held at Kuta Beach and Kedonganan Beach in Jimbaran.
Tourists visiting the resort area may have seen a crowd of community volunteers, government agency staff, and Kuta Traditional Village teams clearing waste strewn along the shoreline, all the way up to the beachwalk.
The Secretary of the Kuta Sub-district, Made Agus Suantara, told reporters, “We at Kuta District appreciate all parties. We have deployed district staff, from Section Heads to Sub-District Heads, to participate.”
He explained, “The situation on the ground is that trash arrives almost constantly. After cleaning it up, another hour later, it arrives again. Especially when there are strong westerly winds and rain, the amount of trash delivered is enormous.”
He confirmed that this is just one of many community-based clean-up operations that will be held in the coming weeks, building on efforts that started back in January. The clean-up efforts are attended by officers from the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Department of Education, as well as Environment Agency staff and local school students.
Suantara told reporters, “This is a command on how we collaborate to follow up on the President’s message. The Education Office has also directed elementary school students to participate in this activity.”
By Tuesday afternoon, much of the debris had been removed from the shoreline and either removed from the beach entirely or shifted into piles at spots along the beach.
While for many tourists it is a shocking sight to see tonnes upon tonnes of trash washed up along the world-famous picture postcard beachfront, for many local people and returning tourists to Bali, the situation is no longer shocking, but sadly all too normal at this time of year.
Kuta Beach Trash Alert
“All-hands-on-deck” situation declared. Tap a card to see the impact and where to go instead.
THE TIDES
Kuta & Jimbaran
TAP TO REVEALTASK FORCE
Presidential Directive
TAP TO REVEALCAN I VISIT?
What To Expect
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Trash-Free Spots
TAP TO REVEALFor tourists who are concerned that the tides of plastic trash that wash up during the rainy season will impact their vacation, here at The Bali Sun, we have a few tips to share.
The first is that the clean-up crews work exceptionally hard and from the early hours to ensure that the beaches are cleaned as quickly as possible, and ideally before the majority of tourists arrive to enjoy their day at the beach.
This means that tourists who are planning on visiting Kuta Beach, Jimbaran Beach, or Kedonganan Beach, which are typically the worst affected by this phenomenon, can still conditionally plan their days at these vacation hotspots, but do so in the knowledge that the big piles of debris may still be being cleared by the time they arrive.
For those who absolutely do not want to risk an encounter with the trash, the simple solution is to pick an alternative destination.
Coastal resorts like Nusa Dua and Sanur receive a different tidal flow and as such are rarely impacted by the tides of trash.
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Wayan Mataram
Friday 6th of February 2026
It's time for regional leaders across Indonesia to collaborate in a concerted effort to intercept river waste before it reaches the open ocean. Trash that escapes rivers travels around the ocean, eventually being carried by currents and winds, ending up stranded and piled up on inland beaches.It's happening in regular cycle almost every year.This is what happens in Bali at Kuta Kedonganan benches LINK
Steve bmi
Friday 6th of February 2026
Sounds like they could be taking kids out of school to clean up. Omg
Ferdi
Thursday 5th of February 2026
Well it’s a good job the President pointed out the shocking state of Bali to Koster.
How else would Koster have known? It must have come as a real shock to him.
Still, with the announcement of another multi-agency Taskforce we can rest assured that the issues with beaches, roadside rubbish, illegal dumping of building matériels, potholes, out of control roadside advertising etc will all be quickly acted on.
I’m confident that now Koster knows about these problems that the regional government will leap into action!
Steve bmi
Thursday 5th of February 2026
Weak lokal government
Jay
Thursday 5th of February 2026
People always tossing their trash everywhere needs to be stopped - rivers and drainways (in particular) are not garbage disposal sites.