WHAT IS BALI’S WASTE PROBLEM?
In Bali, trash has usually been most visible at the end of the year, when monsoon currents bring waves of plastic and debris onto its beaches.
But the current problem is different.
In some neighbourhoods, confusion about the new regulation has led residents to burn or dump their waste onto sidewalks and into drains when they do not know what else to do.
Bali generated about 3,400 tonnes of waste per day in 2025 but only 29 per cent, or around 916 tonnes, was managed, according to Bali’s environment agency.
The pressure is not evenly spread across the island.
Environmental expert Shinta Enggar Maharani from Mahasaraswati University said the problem is worse in tourism-centred southern Bali, especially in the island’s capital, Denpasar, and Badung, where hotels, restaurants, villas, construction and changing urban lifestyles generate far more waste than in rural districts.
“Five-star hotels already have a system (to manage their waste), but there are more small hotels than four- and five-star hotels,” she said.
“In fact, the worst are villas, many of which are not registered.”
For decades, open dumping and reliance on landfills have been the main ways to manage waste in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Indonesia banned open landfills in 2013 because hazardous waste disposal in open fields or landfills pollutes soil and water, emits toxic gases, and poses severe public health risks to surrounding communities.
But it is only now attempting to fully implement the measure.
In southern Bali, the Suwung landfill in Denpasar is the main landfill and has already reached capacity.
Shinta said Suwung was initially supposed to be a final disposal site at the end of a proper waste management process that includes sorting.
Instead, it effectively became an open dumping ground for years, accepting mixed waste from Denpasar, Badung and surrounding areas. Bali officials said organic material accounts for around 65 per cent of the island’s waste, creating methane, odour, leachate and fire risks when dumped in bulk.
The government wants to close Suwung permanently as of Aug 1, and only organic waste can be disposed of there in the meantime.
