Bali’s Governor Wayan Koster has announced new legislation that will change the way in which trash is managed on the island.
Bali’s waste management issues have hit international headlines over the year and in his second term as provincial leader Governor Koster wants to get a handle on the issue once and for all.
On the 11th of April 2025 Governor Koster’s Bali Waste Clean Up Movement will officially come into effect. As stipulated in Circular Letter Number 9 of 2025 concerning the Bali Waste Clean-Up Movement, the new policies are set to see huge changes in the way in which trash is dealt with across the island.
One of the biggest shake-ups the new policies stipulate is to put far more onus on businesses, especially businesses in the tourism sector, to take responsibility for processing the waste that their enterprise produces.
In a press conference held on Sunday 6th April, Governor Koster explained “We should not wait until the end of my second term. If possible, this waste problem must be resolved by the middle of the term.” The new policies mean that businesses are now responsible for separating and processing or storing their own trash.
While Governor Koster formally outlined the details of the Bali Waste Clean Up Movement over the weekend, his press conference came just days after meeting with Bali based environmental NGO Sungai Watch.
Governor Koster and the provincial government are on a mission to make serious changes to the ways in which waste is managed on the island by businesses, by local commutes and by tourists too.
Speaking to the media after his visit Governor Koster explained “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 added “Source-based waste management in Bali must be successfully implemented in 636 villages and 1,500 tractional villages, that will be integrated into this system to ensure a complete resolution. The absolute deadline is 2027.”
Governor Koster has also, somewhat controversially, promised to build a waste incinerator in Temesi, in Gianyar Regency, that will be managed by the state-owned enterprise PLN, to turn trash into energy. He noted that there is an urgency to develop a mass incinerator in central Bali since all open landfill sites across the island are already at over capacity.
The most famous open landfill in Bali, Suwung TPA, is often referred to as ‘trash mountain’ though the site was supposed to be closed by November 2023, in time for Bali’s hosting of the G20 Summit, tonnes upon tonnes of trash is still dumped there every day.
For tourists, this will mean a huge number of changes too. While businesses have been given a grace period to get a plan together, Governor Koster wants to see all businesses operating their own waste management systems by 1st January 2026.
Over the next few months, tourists in Bali may see single-use plastics completely disappear from tourist attractions, accommodations, and eateries.
Tourists will be increasingly encouraged to make more sustainable choices such as using a reusable water bottle, carrying with them a tote bag for their shopping, and buying food that is packaged with sustainable materials such as banana leaves or paper bags and much more.
Outside of waste management issues, Bali is on a mission to promote more sustainable and culturally respectful tourism on the island.
Top sustainable travel experiences in Bali include staying at top eco-hotels like Bambu Indah or Bali EcoStay, taking part in regenerative travel experiences such as the Astungkara Way, or dining at any of the island’s exceptional earth-conscious eateries such as Zest, Sayuri’s, Locavore or Mana Earthly Paradise to name but a few.
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