Trash Pile-Up in Bali Poses Problems for Locals and Tourists
The Indonesian island of Bali is struggling with a tide of garbage amid a new policy that's closed the biggest local dump to organic waste. Though the government has reasons for the policy, including safety, the resulting flood of waste is trying locals and visitors alike.
Bali’s Trash Crisis
REPORTER:
On Bali, trash piles up with nowhere to go. Since April, the government’s closed the island’s biggest landfill to organic waste—part of a drive to enforce a ban on open landfills that’s been on the books for 13 years but not yet put in practice.
REPORTER:
There was a composting awareness campaign but the message doesn't seem to have landed. Every day, the island produces 3,400 tons of garbage —and with no alternative landfill sites, the smell of rot fills the air as rats gather.
Yuvita Anggi Prinanda (FLORIST):
Because of the smell from the waste, it affects us; customers end up not buying. And then they might tell their friends, 'It smells bad over there because the trash is piling up and not being collected.' So personally, as a business owner, it's quite disruptive.
REPORTER:
Florist Yuvita Anggi Prinanda says her shop produces four bags of waste a day, which quickly adds up over even a week.
REPORTER:
She’s had to spend some of the small amount she makes on private waste disposal.
REPORTER:
And the island's tourism-driven service industry is hurting too.
I Ketut Gede Arya Putra Sanjaya (COFFEE SHOP WAITER):
The main impact is the smell, because we also use milk products and things like that, which spoil easily. If they're left for too long, it creates an unpleasant odor.
REPORTER:
And in the end, tourism may end up suffering in general. Around seven million visitors came to Bali last year—dwarfing the local population of 4.4 million. Tourism does contribute to the waste problem—but it is also a pillar of the local economy. Already, some visitors say Bali’s garbage crisis can’t go on.
Justin Butcher (AUSTRALIAN TOURIST):
The government needs to do something about this, you know. You have many rats here at nighttime. The smell is not very good. And for tourist people coming here, it's not a good look. No one wants to see it on the beach. And, you know, we all always like to keep our beaches clean.
REPORTER:
But the government has reasons for cracking down on open landfills. Bali’s large landfill has been over capacity for years. And with 70% of the waste inside organic, there’s a danger of explosions as methane gas builds up amid the decay.
REPORTER:
Collapses are also a real danger—as Indonesia knows. In March, the country’s biggest landfill outside Jakarta collapsed, killing seven people. And despite protests from sanitation workers, the decision is final: there will be limited disposal in Bali’s biggest dump through July, but no later.
Hanif Faisol Nurofiq (FMR. INDONESIAN ENVIRONMENT MINISTER):
These steps are meant to build our culture as a nation. Therefore, strategic steps need to be taken gradually; starting with one year of capacity-building, then ending the practice of open dumping, followed by improving waste capacity and quality through sorting.
REPORTER:
For now, garbage plant workers are still doing their best. And there are plans for Bali—June should see the groundbreaking of a waste-to-energy project that may one day handle 1,200 tons of waste every day. But the project could take years. Leaving the people of Bali trying to adapt to the tide of trash.
