Bali’s US$40mil trash problem

An uphill task: Scavengers collecting used plastic items at a landfill in Denpasar, on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. — AFP

Over a six-week period this spring, the Indonesian nongovernmental organisation Sungai Watch collected more than 40 tonnes of trash from Bali’s Jimbaran Bay – traditionally a bucket list paradise known for its grilled seafood restaurants, surf break and idyllic Four Seasons Resort.

The magnitude surprised nobody on-site. Tsunamis of trash like this have become a recurring issue: They wash over from neighbouring Java, the world’s most populous island, during monsoon season each year. But as tourism roars back post-pandemic, global awareness of the issue is soaring thanks to viral videos on social media and a flurry of news coverage. “When you have an entire coastline covered with plastic, it is a giant crisis,” says Gary Bencheghib, 28, one of three French-born, Bali-raised siblings who founded Sungai Watch in 2020.