Bali Provincial Government celebrated National Waste Awareness Day 2025 with a beach cleaning campaign at Kedonganan Beach in Badung, Sunday, February 23rd 2025.
The Acting Head of the Bali Forestry and Environment Service, Made Rentin, stated that while this event is government-led, waste management is a shared responsibility.
He explained that active community participation in sorting household waste is crucial, and the government has implemented various policies to reduce waste generation.
“This is a form of collaboration and collective awareness that waste management is not solely the responsibility of the government, but the responsibility of all parties,” said Rentin.
Beach Cleaning Action
During the beach cleaning event, a significant amount of plastic waste was still found. Therefore, the Bali Forestry and Environment Service emphasized the importance of limiting plastic use, especially in food and beverage packaging, to protect the marine environment.
The Bali Provincial Government has already implemented a policy to reduce single-use plastic waste through Bali Governor Regulation Number 97 of 2018.
Additionally, there is the Bali Governor Regulation Number 47 of 2019 on Source-Based Waste Management, as a reference to reduce plastic packaging waste.
“I hope that collective movements like this can be consistently carried out, not only during National Waste Awareness Day but continuously. The regulations are already in place, now it’s about implementation on the ground, and of course, it returns to the role of the community, who must be willing to participate,” he said.
Thus, on this National Waste Awareness Day 2025, the Bali Forestry and Environment Service encourages the public to be more aware of environmental cleanliness, starting with sorting waste at the household level.
As quoted from Antara, he added, “I urge the public to join together and care for environmental cleanliness starting from their own households, and for the business sector, to prepare for independent waste management.”
Effective Waste Management
This event was attended by various parties, including the Expert Staff for Biodiversity and Socio-Cultural Resource Conservation from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Noer Adi Wardojo.
In his remarks, Noer Adi urged all parties to focus on solving the waste problem, which has caused environmental damage, health threats, and social conflicts.
“The Ministry of Environment and Forestry invites everyone to focus together and use National Waste Awareness Day to take action, work concretely, and become productive members of society through collective efforts. Through collaboration, we can build better waste management through various initiatives,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the context of Bali’s tourism, as quoted by RRI, Professor Dr. I Gede Pitana revealed that although Bali’s tourism infrastructure has been developing, waste management, especially plastic, remains a major issue that needs to be addressed immediately.
Plastic waste is considered a serious threat to the sustainability of Bali’s tourism, as it can disrupt the sector’s growth if not properly managed.
Prof. Pitana further emphasized that Bali’s success in advancing tourism depends on the progress of infrastructure, consistent law enforcement, equitable distribution of tourism benefits, and more effective waste management.
Furthermore, the preservation of Bali’s culture must be approached flexibly and dynamically in line with the progress of time.
Source: AntaraNews, RRI
Image: via KoranJuri