The Bali provincial government vowed in 2010 that Bali would be free of plastic waste by 2013, yet plastic waste is piling up at the rate of 1600 tons per day, an increase of more than 200% from last year’s plastic statistics. Villages are polluted and water-ways are choked with plastic. Instead of moving forward, the situation has gone from bad to worse.

Recent media coverage is reflecting a rising tide of public opinion: the plastic waste situation in Bali is dire and dirty. On 22 April 2012, the world’s top surfer Kelly Slater slammed Bali’s dirty beaches, saying ‘the pollution was unbelievable’ and would make it ‘impossible to surf here in a few years’:

The front page of the Bali Daily also featured a photo of a giant ‘ever-expanding’ illegal dumpsite in the mangroves of Nusa Dua highlighting environmentalists’ view of the government-sponsored program as ‘ineffective.’

Of course we can’t forget Time magazines dramatic piece titled “Holiday in Hell: Bali’s Ongoing Woes”.  This negative exposure pressured the local government into investing in two large waste management machines used to clean up Kuta Beach. In addition to the environmental costs, this coverage will take its toll on Bali tourism. Yet the government is yet to respond. So what has the Bali government achieved since 2010 to make Bali plastic-free?

The Perda (Local Government Regulation) to implement the government’s 2010 vision outlined a program that would facilitate and engage communities to reduce, reuse and recycle (the 3 Rs) plastic including ‘stopping plastic at its source.’ It included plans for a task force to supervise recycling, infrastructure to collect it and technology to create fuel from plastic. In the three years to date evidence resulting from these initiatives, that focus reusing and recycling, is lagging.

So what about waste reduction? Surely ‘stopping plastic at is source ‘, rather than creating waste in the first place, would be the most effective method of tackling the waste problem. Instead the government wants to provide incentives to retailers to supply so-called degradable bags. However, promoting degradable bags will actually increase the overall amount of plastic waste as shoppers believe these bags are an environmentally-friendly option, and will not bother trying to reduce their use.

The ugly truth is that degradable bags do not fully degrade, especially in humid climates such as Indonesia. Even in environments where this type of plastic does break down successfully, bags only decompose into microfragments of plastic that remain in the environment. This is merely a cosmetic solution that has dangerous long-term consequences and costs to both human and environmental health.

Degradable bags contain high levels of heavy metals to promote degradation. These toxins are introduced into the food chain; seeping into farming land and poisoning the many animals and marine life that ingest them.

So, what can the Bali government do to make a dent in plastic waste before the 2013 deadline?  One proposed solution is to simply ban the bag. If India and China, the world’s largest emerging consumer nations, can do it then so can Bali.

Last year the idea of a bag ban gained some momentum in Bali via the Responsible Retailer Roundtable, a coalition of government, retailers and green groups. Retailers were willing to comply with the ban as long as the government enforced it. However, the idea was dead in the water when the government took no action to implement the ban.

Banning the bag is an obvious first step in addressing Bali’s garbage problem, but such a sweeping measure requires strong government commitment to enforce it along with widespread public support. At this point in time, the Balinese Government has neither.  Rather, it has an island of 3.5 million inhabitants who have become dependent on single-use plastic bags, and who expect the government to make the garbage disappear.

This state of affairs requires an integrated policy to support a progressive phase-out of single use plastic bags. Such a policy might include an initial bag tax, strictly enforced regulations and fines for illegal dumping as well as increased public education about the obvious need to clean up Bali.

Single-use plastic bags are the #1 consumer item in the world. They are used often for only minutes, but can pollute the environment for over 1000 years.

Bali Cantik Tanpa Plastik campaigns for a plastic free Bali through education and art. One of their efforts is to release the song “Tolak Tas Kresek” (refuse plastic bags) written and recorded by Navicula frontman, Gede Robi Supriyanto (Robi Navicula). The song is available for free download below, and is free for use in efforts to support a plastic free Bali. Download “Tolak Tas Kresek” here:

This paradise island of Bali has long attracted visitors, both domestic and foreign. The beautiful natural environment, vibrant traditional culture, and international-class tourism facilities have given this island its credit as one of the best tourism destinations in the world. No other compares.

But these positive aspects of modern Bali are now threatened by the waste caused by the tourism industry, visitors to the island, and its own residents. Recent research conducted show that Bali alone produces anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 tons of waste per day.

According to some environmental groups in Bali, each individual produces an average of 2.75kg of trash and 3 liters of wastewater per day. In 2010, Bali’s population was recorded at 3.9 million (according to BPS), which means that the amount of trash produced everyday in Bali has reached an alarming 10,725 tons and the amount of wastewater is at11,700 liters. These are serious numbers.

Based on research conducted in 2000/2001 in the four main tourism regions of Bali (Denpasar City, and the Regencies of Badung, Gianyar and Tabanan), only 50% of residents have access to waste collection services, and of the waste collected, only 60% ever reach the landfills (TPA). The remaining waste ends up on the side of the road, in the city parks, markets, and other public spaces. Existing efforts to reduce the amount of trash sent to landfills and to change public behavior has not yet shown promising results.

The Bali Provincial Government has demonstrated a continuous effort to handle this waste problem. Since 1986, the government has maintained a large landfill (TPA) of 22 hectares in Suwung, Sanur. By using three methods of waste disposal—incineration, sanitary landfill, and open dumping—the government anticipated this landfill would accommodate and dispose of all waste from Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, and Tabanan Regency (Sarbagita). On December 12^th, 2008, the Suwung landfill became the first in Indonesia to adopt waste to energy technology (turning waste into electricity).

Unfortunately, however, this innovative approach did not function well. Research conducted by Putu Rusdi Ariawan, a student at the Department of Technology at Udayana University, shows that Suwung was actually only used for open dumping, meaning that trash was just thrown in a heap without any further processing. As a result, everyday the trash dump grows and takes up more space.

The hope that all four regencies and Denpasar would be able to dispose of their waste together was dashed as well. The landfill space was too small to accommodate the large volume of trash from all four regencies. Furthermore, alhough the Indonesian provincial government looked into waste-to-energy technology, they have made no further progress toward utilizing this technology in Suwung.

Besides the government, the greater public and international companies have also been involved in waste management. Local Balinese businessmen Pak Oles and I Ketut Mertaadi, for example, as well as a number of Korean companies have opened waste management facilities in Bali. These companies can sell products created from the processed waste, such as organic compost, recycled paper, and plastic scraps. The market for these products is not just based in Bali; sales have reached East Java and even traveled overseas. These companies mark a promising business opportunity, but their efforts make only small steps toward reducing Bali’s waste problem. At best, these companies can process 5 tons of trash per day. Compared to the 10,000 tons of trash produced daily, these efforts are very small.

The economic value of waste

But stories of companies such as those mentioned above lead to an interesting perspective on waste: to view it as an asset that can be processed to create economic value. Technology allows waste to be processed into products, including compost, animal feed, alcohol, atsiri oil, energy (biogas and electricity) and much more. These products, of course, have economic value.

Waste on Bali is composed of 70% organic and 30% inorganic waste (plastic, paper, glass, metals, etc). Based on the statistics of 10,000 tons per day, the composition of trash per day is: 7,000 tons of organic waste and 3,000 tons of inorganic waste.

If all the organic waste were used to produce organic compost, that would create 3,500 tons of dry organic compost (2 to 1), which can be sold at the competitive price of Rp. 1,000 per kg. In other words, Bali’s organic waste value is 3.5 billion rupiah per day.

If we logically assume that the inorganic waste is 50% plastic, then this waste can be processed into plastic scraps (by chopping and heating), which can then be sold for around Rp. 5,000 to Rp. 12,300 per kg. Thus, at the lowest selling price, bulk plastic scrap can bring in a total of 7,5 billion rupiah (1,500 tons X Rp. 5,000) per day.

Imagine the possibilities! Just from the two standard products mentioned above, Bali can earn up to 11 billion rupiah every day, which comes to 330 billion rupiah every month, or 4,015 trillion rupiah every year, all from its own waste. These are huge numbers that could benefit the people of Bali. But currently, all this potential money is carelessly wasted.

Read the second part of this article: Four Trillion Rupiah in the Landfill (2)

Photos by Jeff Blades and Walhi Bali.

Recently, the Balinese Provincial Environmental Agency (BLH) as well as the Bureaurs of Law and Human Rights (Biro Hukum and HAM), began drafting provincial regulations regarding waste management, with the goal that these regulations would be implemented in 2011. Through these provincial regulations, Bali will start waste management starting at the level of individual homes, using the Takakura model—separating organic waste to be processed into environmental friendly compost.

This new program launches in conjunction with several efforts for a plastic-free Bali (such as the Bali Clean and Green Province initiative), which runs 2010-2014. The government is also developing school waste management units, from elementary schools through to university campuses.

The plan to make Bali free of plastic wastes could mimic China’s methods used in 2008. With simple steps, such as banning plastic bags in grocery stores, the plastic waste volume reduced by 50%, around 100 billion plastic bags. The principle is simple: Shops that continue to offer plastic bags are required to charge customers for each plastic bag. They can keep the profits from the sale of the plastic bags. As a result, customers learn to reuse plastic bags.

Home level waste management could be improved through building waste processing facilities at the banjar (sub-village) or village level. In this way, waste will be managed close to the source, rather than being immediately transported to landfills (TPA). Besides being good for the environment and providing other benefits for villages, this method could also bring in financial income from the sale of products created from waste (see the rough financial breakdown above).

The government can additionally work together with private companies and banks to create waste processing machines or technology for both organic and inorganic waste. In Denpasar, there are four villages currently managing their own waste: Sanur Kauh, Sanur Kaja, Tegal Kertha and Kelurahan Ubung. Utilizing their ideas, the government could encourage the a commitment to waste management by community-oriented companies.

The decision to involve village communities and education as part of a waste management program is a strategic move. In addition to addressing the trash buildup problem on a small scale, the government will hold communities accountable for handling their own waste problems, with the incentive of numerous benefits. This is modern business, where the level of progress is defined by our ability to develop and protect Planet Earth from destruction caused by waste.

The moral is simple: A society is considered modern or advanced if it is able to handle waste problems and turn these “problems” into assets. Ipso facto if a society is not able to manage it’s waste problems, then that that society remains primitive, living in the past.