Bali.... a Paradise?

Most Garbage Goes Uncollected

May 26, 2011

DENPASAR

Three-quarters of the 20,000 cubic metres of trash generated each day in Bali remains uncollected, an official has said.

Alit Sastrawan, head of the Bali environmental agency, told reporters in Denpasar on Saturday that the agency estimates that 75 percent of the waste is left at roadsides, or in illegal dumps.

“Every day around 15,000 cubic meters of trash does not end up in the official government-owned final garbage dump facility. Instead, the trash is thrown along the roadsides, alleys and in illegal dumps,” Sastrawan said.

Sastrawan said the agency’s lack of staff and equipment contributed to the issue, but he said that public attitudes to waste disposal were the key problem.

“Many people still think they can dump their trash anywhere. Trash has disturbed our social and spiritual life, and it has also damaged our economic sources, especially the tourism industry,” he said, citing last month’s damning “Holidays in Hell” article in Time magazine which described Bali’s litter-strewn beaches.

Previously, in response to the article, Sastrawan had called for strict Singapore-style punishments for anyone caught littering. A new bylaw to this effect is currently being prepared, he said.

“The provincial administration has finished drafting a bylaw on trash and has submitted the proposed bylaw to the provincial legislative council. The council is currently still deliberating the bylaw,” he said.

Sastrawan said the authorities were also planning to build a modernised waste-disposal site to replace the overstretched existing facility at Suwung.

(x the Bali Times)