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Tourism worsens Bali waste crisis

Longer-term solutions, such as Bali’s planned waste-to-energy (WtE) facility, are not expected to be completed until November 2027, and undergo a finalization phase before becoming operational in December 2027. 

Ni Made Tasyarani (The Jakarta Post)
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Sat, May 2, 2026 Published on Apr. 24, 2026 Published on 2026-04-24T14:30:25+07:00

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Eyesore: A tourist walks near piles of trash on Feb. 3, 2026, at Yeh Gangga Beach in Tabanan, Bali. President Prabowo Subianto has highlighted environmental problems in Bali, citing pollution from waste and urging local administrations to involve students in cleanup activities as part of efforts to address the issue and preserve the island’s tourism industry. Eyesore: A tourist walks near piles of trash on Feb. 3, 2026, at Yeh Gangga Beach in Tabanan, Bali. President Prabowo Subianto has highlighted environmental problems in Bali, citing pollution from waste and urging local administrations to involve students in cleanup activities as part of efforts to address the issue and preserve the island’s tourism industry. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)

I

ndah Gryanti, a resident of Gianyar regency in Bali, said that she is often now faced with stacks of uncollected residual waste, as garbage trucks now come irregularly. 

With no reliable waste collection, her family has opted to burn or dump some of the household trash in the backyard.

“Along the alley where I live, the trash is just piled up in corners with no one collecting it,” she told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. 

Indah believed the issue stemmed from a combination of low public awareness of waste sorting and the government’s failure to provide a solution before closing the island’s largest disposal site, the Suwung landfill. 

The waste issue has become increasingly acute on the island, which welcomes millions of domestic and international tourists annually, with local residents scrambling to deal with piles of uncollected garbage. Experts have noted the urgency for tourism destinations and accommodations to reduce waste, as solutions such as waste-to-energy (WtE) infrastructure may take years to build.

Read also: Govt proposes criminal charges for waste violations in Bali

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I Putu Anom, tourism expert from Udayana University told the Post on April 23 that the waste crisis had become a reality, especially in the southern part of Bali, the island’s main tourism hotspot. 

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