DENPASAR: Environment Minister Hanif Faisal Nurofiq has proposed imposing minor criminal penalties on Bali residents who violate waste management regulations, as the popular tourist destination grapples with a worsening waste crisis.
Hanif said Bali was ready for stricter enforcement, citing that an estimated 60–70 per cent of residents have adopted waste-sorting practices. This marks a significant improvement compared with other regions, where unsorted waste collection and disposal systems remain prevalent despite regulations mandating waste separation.
Hanif described the progress in Bali’s waste management as a significant achievement that must be sustained through consistent law enforcement.
“Building the habit of sorting waste isn’t easy, but Bali has made real progress. It’s only fair that those who follow the rules are protected. Anyone who breaks them should face minor criminal penalties, in fairness to the community that has made the effort,” he said on Friday (April 17) as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Hanif has proposed imposing minor criminal penalties on residents who refuse to sort their waste, burn it, or litter. He said the measures could position Bali as a model for other regions, demonstrating that meaningful changes in public behaviour in waste management can be achieved in a relatively short time.
I Gusti Ngurah Jaya Negara, mayor of Bali’s provincial capital Denpasar, said minor criminal penalties for waste management violations would be rolled out gradually, prioritising public education.
He said enforcement would follow once services and supporting infrastructure were fully operational.
“We will enforce waste sorting regulations, but first we must ensure that the supporting services are functioning properly. At the same time, we need to strengthen outreach and education to improve public awareness and discipline in waste sorting,” he said.
Bali has been grappling with a growing waste crisis in recent years, with unmanaged garbage increasingly contributing to environmental problems, including flooding, even in popular tourist areas.
On Sept 10 last year, the island was hit by its worst flooding in history, which killed 18 people and left four others missing. The Bali Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) estimated that economic losses from damage to public infrastructure and buildings could reach Rp 28.9 billion (US$1.79 million).
In 2024, Bali generated around 1.2 million tonnes of waste, most of it originating from major tourist areas such as Denpasar, Gianyar and Badung. Governor I Wayan Koster has previously said that nearly all landfill sites on the island have reached full capacity, with single-use plastics accounting for the largest share of waste.
A 2019 study found that only about 48 per cent of Bali’s waste is properly managed through recycling or landfilling.
A significant portion of collected waste fails to reach recycling facilities or the island’s 10 official landfills, resulting in an estimated 33,000 tonnes of plastic entering Bali’s waterways each year.
Bali’s waste crisis has worsened following the Environment Ministry’s decision to partially close the Suwung landfill, the island’s largest waste disposal site, as part of a broader crackdown on facilities still relying on open dumping.
The local administration has urged businesses and communities to sort waste at source, compost organic materials and recycle inorganic waste, either independently or through third-party services, so that only residual waste ends up in the landfill.
However, the closure has prompted some residents to burn waste or dispose of it in rivers.
Denpasar Mayor I Gusti Ngurah said authorities would continue to intensify source-based waste management programs to address the issue, including the optimisation of facilities such as integrated waste treatment centres (TPST) and reduce-reuse-recycle facilities (TPS3R) at village and subdistrict levels.
“The distribution of household composters is also being expanded to strengthen waste processing at the source, with the aim of accelerating community-level waste management practices,” he said.
Looking ahead, Bali plans to build its first waste-to-energy facility, which is expected to begin operating within the next two years. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
