Leaders in Bali’s busiest tourism region have committed to making major strides in combating the island’s waste management issues.
Every year, thousands of tons of plastic waste and ocean debris wash up on Bali’s most popular tourist beaches, but a simple solution could soon change everything.
Badung Regency, home to top resorts like Canggu, Seminyak, Legian, Kuta, Jimbaran, and Uluwatu, has long been fighting to find sustainable and impactful solutions to the issue of ocean debris and tides of plastic waste washing up on the shore.
The issue is worse during the monsoon season, though tides of plastic waste have been known to land throughout the year, and are worsening every season.
The Deputy Regent of Badung, Bagus Alit Sucipta, has confirmed that all efforts and available resources are being focused on handling ocean waste once and for all. He has committed to resolving the issue by December 2025. Deputy Regent Sucipta confirmed that new sea barriers, similar to the river trash barriers that are already in place across the island, will be installed off the shorelines of the worst-impacted beaches.
Deputy Regent Sucipta shared “In the future we in Badung will try to install tools to prevent the shipment from reaching the coast.” He also called for tourism businesses and local communities in the area to step up and take more responsibility for managing their own waste where possible.
This is all part of the new Bali Waste Clean-Up Movement, which is a series of new policies formally introduced on the 11th of April 2025, that are set to see Bali be totally cleaned up by 2027.
As part of this new chapter, the Bali Waste Clean-Up Movement was officially launched at the Taman Werdhi Budaya Art Center in Denpasar on Friday afternoon. Bali Governor Wayan Koster was joined by Indonesia’s Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq and representatives from hundreds of villages and communities throughout Bali Province.
Minister Nurofiq praised Bali for its new commitment to be ‘waste-free’ by 2027. The Minister shared “I am proud of the people of Bali. This is extraordinary and unprecedented.”
Minister Nurofiq explained that the ministry hopes Bali can become a pilot province for new waste management systems within the next three to four months. If successful, Bali’s steps could become the national blueprint point towards ‘true green tourism’.
At the end of March Bali Governor Wayan Koster announced a series of new policies aimed at tackling the province’s infamous waste management issues.
In a statement issued following a meeting with Bali-based environmental NGO Sungai Watch, Governor Koster shared “In implementing the 2025-2030 program, as part of the Nangun Sat Kerthi Loka Bali mission, one of the urgent priorities is to make Bali free from waste. The target is within two years, the sooner the better.”
He confirmed “Source-based waste management in Bali must be successfully implemented in 636 villages and 1,500 traditional villages, that will be integrated into this system to ensure a complete resolution. The absolute deadline is 2027.”
The Governor has also promised to punish businesses that do not step up and take responsibility for managing the waste that they produce, especially businesses in the tourism sector.
Governor Koster has ordered that all businesses on the island create their own waste management systems, to help minimize the amount of waste that goes to the island’s landfill sites.
Tourists visiting Bali can expect to see far more focus on sustainable materials and calls for support to minimize the use of single-use plastics during their vacations.
Tourists will soon see even more widespread adoptions of eco-friendly practices across hotels, resorts, guesthouses, and villas, as well as at top tourist attractions, and cultural landmarks. As outlined in the Bali list of do’s and don’t tourists are already expected not to litter and avoid using single-use plastics.
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