Waste vs Bali clean and green

For several years, waste has been a major problem in Bali and with a lacking waste disposal system in place and a spiraling rise in the population, the streets have never looked worse. Realising that we are all on the cusp of destroying the natural beauty of the island, EcoBali has taken action. Their private waste collection and recycling initiative services private households, villas, hotels and resorts, schools and other companies to keep Bali clean, green, and as beautiful as it should be

"Pollution, land degradation, water contamination, lack of awareness and education on environmental issues, especially on waste management practices and improper disposal of solid waste, continues to be a very serious issue on our island", says Ketut, the director of Eco Bali. Aware of the worsening situation, Eco Bali was founded in 2005 (Jl. Pantai Berawa 34 Canggu, T: 0361 790 7314, 844 6602) to establish a collection service of non-organic waste such as plastic, paper, beverage cartons, glass and metal from the community and recycle the materials in a responsible and effective manner.

The goal of EcoBali is simply to promote a sustainable solution on waste separation at the source as well as increase individual and collective awareness with regard to solid waste management practices, reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfills in Bali and dumping sites thus limiting the environmental consequences as the key step in order to reach the target of a ‘zero waste' climate on the island.

EcoBali currently collect and recycle around two to three tons of non organic waste every month. The waste is then sent to Jimbaran Lestari, a recovery centre in the south of the island where recyclables are further separated according to categories, and sent to various distributors to reach recycling plants, mostly in Surabaya - East Java. Looking at the EcoBali charts it's easy to see that the separation waste system is effectively proven to reduce waste by between fifty to seventy percent for households, while for offices the statistics are higher, reaching ninety per cent. Meanwhile the hotel and resort industries are registering around thirty to forty per cent, many electing to recycle their own materials, many ignorant of the waste dilemma Bali is facing. At present EcoBali covers the Canggu, Kerobokan, Sanur, Jimbaran, and Nusa Dua areas but as tourism development spreads further up the western and eastern shores so is the message of the correct and responsible manner in which to deal with waste removal and recycling.

Apart from their collection and recycling service, EcoBali also provides training programs in composting waste for households and small businesses and they're currently developing an environmental education program in collaboration with Tetra Pak Indonesia to promote waste separation at the source in local schools, spreading the word on environmental awareness and education to elementary and junior high school students in how to preserve the environment in which we live. This program has been established already in eight schools and will be extended to another eight by the end of this year. "We are trying to increase awareness on waste management problems amongst the local communities in Bali as much as servicing the needs of the expatriate and business sector of the island", explains Ketut. Social awareness and individual responsibility plays a big part in assisting the services of private enterprises such as EcoBali. "Bring your own plastic bag when shopping," continues Ketut, "and please don't litter, bury, or burn your waste, it's a simple way to contribute to keeping Bali a clean and safe environment".

For more information on how to take advantage of the services provided by EcoBali, head to their website eco-bali. For around a hundred US dollars a year your home or business can make a huge difference to the face of Bali.