If you’re a regular reader of The Bali Sun, you may have figured this out by now. Bali’s trash problems will be hitting the headlines increasingly regularly over the next few months as the island battles with finding quick solutions to waste processing, as the island’s biggest landfill is set to close once and for all.
While not the most exciting topic for tourists to think about on vacation, it’s important for visitors to be up to speed on what’s happening and understand where we are all going from here.
Bali’s biggest open landfill, Suwung TPA, is set to close once and for all on the 31st July 2026. The site stopped receiving organic waste as of the 1st April, and it is this that has sparked a fresh round of problems for local communities and business owners within the catchment area.
Suwung TPA receives the majority of the water generated in Denpasar City, including top resorts like Sanur, and Badung Regency, which is home to the island’s busiest resorts like Canggu, Legian, Seminyak, and Uluwatu.
The closing of landfill sites and a shift towards more composting and recycling waste management models is an excellent idea at first glance, but in reality, in Bali, the situation is a little more nuanced. For Bali, it’s not as simple as switching from landfill to composting and recycling, as the infrastructure to support the switch has not yet been built.
There are a series of small recycling facilities in Bali, both public and private, but even cumulatively, these facilities cannot cope with the volumes of waste produced across the province every day.
A solution is in sight. The Bali Provincial Government is set to build a Waste to Energy (PSEL) facility that is set to help process the province’s waste more effectively. The issue with that, however, is that construction won’t begin until July 2026 and will take at least 18 months to build. You see the problem here?!
With waste now piling up in communities across the island, and to help tackle the existing issues of waste management, including the dumping of trash in rivers and illegal landfills sites, both local leaders, community activities, private businesses, and NGOs are working to resolve the situation in big and small ways.
Earlier this week, Bali Hotel Association (BHA) and local NGO Sungai Watch installed a new trash barrier along the river in the Banjar Kancil area of Kerobokan, close to Canggu. These river barriers have proven to be a simple but highly effective way to trap tier trash so that it can be removed from the waterways.
Speaking to reporters, BHA’s Head of Sustainability, Ankit Airon, shared, “This is the result of the contributions of all BHA members who have come together to support Sungai Watch and Bali.”
He confirmed that Sungai Watch is responsible for the operation and management of waste retained at the barrier.
Waste will be removed periodically to prevent accumulation at the site. Airon shared, “Usually, around 300 to 350 kilograms of waste are collected every two to three weeks, depending on the amount of waste retained.” Adding “The plastic is reprocessed through the Sungai Design unit into reusable products, such as furniture and other equipment.”
”We work closely with Sungai Watch because they have data and understanding of the amount of waste at each location. From there, we determine the points that need it most.”
Speaking separately, the Speaking Manager of the Sungai Watch Facility in Denpasar, Iqbal Rizali, said the Kerobokan area is one of the areas with the highest volume of waste, making it a strategic location for installing barriers. He shared, “This net was installed about two to three years ago and has proven effective. In one month, it can capture around 400 to 600 kilograms of inorganic waste.
It is not only the Bali Hotel Association (BHA) and Sungai Watch who are working together to help mitigate the trash problem for Bali, but members of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Bali, too.
A group of 5-star and 4-star hotels in the Badung Regency area has confirmed that they will be pooling funds to purchase an organic incinerator that will help process organic waste to compost in under six hours. Hotels, restaurants, and cafes contribute to 30-40% of the total waste produced in Denpasar and Badung Regency, and so this will go a long way in helping remove organic waste from the system in the short and long term.
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