September 17, 2025
JAKARTA – Bali began September with a deadly disaster. Water flooded all of Denpasar’s main streets, unable to drain because the city’s drainage systems were clogged with plastic, food waste, banana stems and other debris. Water levels reached 2 meters in some locations, killing at least 17 people. In recent years, even moderate rainfall has paralyzed parts of the Island of the Gods.
The island has sold the world a simple proposition: come for the temples and terraced rice fields, leave with a renewed love of nature. That pitch has worked spectacularly. In 2024, the island welcomed about 6.33 million international visitors and over 10 million domestic. Tourism is central to Bali’s economy and identity. But the ecological bill is coming due, in the form of garbage trucks, clogged rivers and smoke from burning dumps.
Indonesia’s National Waste Information System Management (SIPSN) estimates Bali generated around 1.2 million tonnes of waste in 2024 or 3,400 tonnes a day, two-thirds of which is organic. Denpasar alone accounts for 360,000 tonnes per year. Those mountains of trash do not vanish when the sun sets behind the horizon of Kuta beach.
On paper, Bali has a powerful tool: Law No. 18/2008 on waste management. It mandates waste reduction at the source, environmentally sound processing and government responsibility for integrated systems. Yet reality is far from the law’s spirit.
In late 2023, Governor Wayan Koster announced the closure of the Suwung Landfill (TPA) in Denpasar, citing overcapacity and pollution. He urged residents to “manage their own waste” rather than rely on Suwung. While aligned with Law 18/2008’s call for local reduction, the sudden directive left regencies and villages scrambling. Without adequate composting or recycling, much waste risks being burned in open pits, dumped in rivers or left to rot, creating worsening air, water and health conditions.
Bali has tried before. Governor Regulation 97/2018 banned single-use plastic bags, straws and polystyrene. Studies suggest it cut household plastic-bag use by about 57 percent, forcing retailers to adapt. Yet enforcement gaps remain: plastic bags still appear among the top items in river cleanups. Groups like Sungai Watch have had to install more than 180 floating barriers, intercepting over 1 million kilograms of plastic before it reaches the sea.
Integrated Waste Processing Sites (TPST) in Denpasar were meant to ease pressure. But the flagship TPST Kesiman Kertalangu and others drew odor complaints, temporary shutdowns and fines for underperformance, pushing more waste back to Suwung before its closure. Periodic landfill fires at Suwung degraded air quality and forced emergency responses, further eroding public trust.
Since Feb. 14, 2024, Bali has charged a Rp150,000 (about US$10) tourism levy to fund culture and environmental protection. Implementation has been uneven, only about a third of visitors reportedly paid, but the principle is sound: those who enjoy Bali’s beauty should help preserve it.
Trash is not just an eyesore. It is a health risk, stagnant water in litter becomes a mosquito habitat and a cultural affront. Plastic tangled in ceremonial offerings is painful for Balinese who see purity as integral to ritual. In 2024, Badung Regency, home to Canggu and Seminyak, reported a 100 percent rise in dengue cases, Gianyar (Ubud) also recorded high totals. Cleanliness is not only next to godliness, it is disease prevention.
Can ecotourism be part of the fix? Yes, if Bali uses its legal framework, community willpower and tourism revenue. First, enforce Law 18/2008. The government must provide infrastructure. Closing Suwung without alternatives contradicts the law. Composting, recycling and sanitary landfills must be coordinated before shifting the burden to households. Second, ring-fence the levy. Dedicate the Rp150,000 fee to a transparent fund for source-separation bins, village composting and river-barrier maintenance. Publish results monthly.
Third, demand “zero-leakage” from tourism. Hotels, beach clubs and dive operators must separate organics, recyclables and residuals, ban open burning and prove licensed pickups. Compliance should bring incentives, violations penalties. Fourth, fix TPST operations. Publish contracts, odor-control upgrades and independent audits. If operators fail, replace them. With around 68 percent of Bali’s waste biodegradable, anaerobic digestion and composting can cut methane and odors while producing fertilizer.
Fifth, scale refill systems. Phase out small-format PET water bottles (less than 1 liter) in tourism zones and install refill stations at airports, ports and attractions to tackle a top river pollutant. Sixth, let us empower traditional (adat) institutions. Give adat villages authority and revenue shares to run waste cooperatives, hire local pickers safely and enforce customary sanctions (awig-awig) for littering. And finally, partner with the cleaners. Support groups like Sungai Watch with funding, open data and integration into eco-itineraries so visitors help keep Bali beautiful.
Bali does not have to choose between prosperity and purity. The challenge is matching urgency with infrastructure so the Island of the Gods remains worthy of its name for residents, for visitors and for the generations yet to come.