The Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) has highlighted Bali’s waste management crisis.
They emphasize the urgent need to prevent negative environmental, social, and economic impacts on the local community. Implementing a circular economy could be a viable solution to Bali’s waste crisis.
Circular Economy to Tackle Waste Crisis
This was discussed at the “Bali Waste Emergency Forum”, organized by Bali Zero Emissions Coalition in collaboration with the Bali Provincial Government.
During the discussion, researchers and local authorities agreed that a solution is needed to address the overcapacity at the Suwung Final Disposal Site to prevent further harm to the public interest.
According to the National Waste Management Information System, Bali’s waste volume in 2024 is expected to reach 1.2 million tons, with Denpasar being the largest contributor at around 360,000 tons. Organic waste, such as food scraps and tree branches, dominates, accounting for 68.32% of the total waste.
IESR Executive Director Fabby Tumiwa explained that from 2000 to 2024, waste in Bali increased by 30%.
This rise is attributed to several factors, including a lack of public awareness about waste management, an increase in tourism, and the inability of waste management infrastructure to keep up with the growing waste volume.
Sustainable Waste Management in Bali
Fabby, in an interview with Republik, stressed the need for a comprehensive and integrated strategy to tackle Bali’s waste crisis. He believes a circular economy is the key.
This strategy, he explained, must include stricter law enforcement, better waste management infrastructure, and economic incentives tied to waste processing costs. Public participation is also essential, both for reducing waste and for processing organic waste at the source.
While waste-to-energy (WtE) technology is available, Fabby emphasized that investing in such technology is very costly and could burden local government finances. Therefore, reducing waste at the source and processing it efficiently is the most economical solution.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Waste Management Division at the Bali Provincial Environmental Office, I Made Dwi Arbani, stated that Bali faces significant challenges in waste management, such as overcapacity at final disposal sites, limited land, and increasing waste volume each year.
To address these issues, Bali is shifting from a linear waste management system based on final disposal site to a more sustainable circular economy.
The program includes efforts to reduce waste through sustainable lifestyles, utilizing technology to process organic waste, and developing more community-based waste processing facilities.
Source: Republik
Image: via Greenpeace/©Daniel Müller
