When you think of Bali, you instantly imagine a Paradise Island with white sandy beaches, clear blue waters and tropical breeze. Well, don’t get your hopes too high. Popular beaches in Bali, like Kuta and Canggu, is now swamped by trash and most of them are plastics. This is due to the double-edged sword impact on Balinese tourism. It raises Bali’s revenue, but at the same time the tourists generate more trash to the island.
A report from the Waste Management Task Force, the Provincial Environmental Agency and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs found that Bali produces about 1.6 million tonnes of waste every year with around 303.000 tonnes are plastic waste. Local and international tourists generate three times more trash than Bali’s residents. Only about 7% of Bali’s plastic waste is recycled properly. Aware of this condition, 87% of Bali residents are willing to make the effort to change through reducing, reusing and recycling the waste.
Many local and international environmental activists has tried to raise awareness about this and finally their work paid off. June 23rd 2019 marked the bold step of Bali government to reduce plastic waste in the island. They released Gubernatorial Regulation (Pergub) No. 97/2018 which bans the use of plastic bags, straws and styrofoam by individuals and enterprises. The regulation was originally signed on December 21st 2018 and given a six-month grace period until June 2019. Their goal is to suppress single-use plastics and reduce Bali’s marine plastic waste to 70 percent in a year.
The credit for this bold action must got to Isabel and Melati Wijsen, two sisters who have been campaigning restlessly against plastic bags production in Bali. Five years ago, they started a youth-driven movement of Bye Bye Plastic Bags, a strong initiative that fights for a plastic-free Bali. Their community started to gain attention after former Governor Pastika signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ban plastic bags in 2014. However, this action did not gain much traction as many had hoped. As they keep progressing, Bye Bye Plastic Bags has raised global awareness and is now active in 18 countries across the world. Now, they have inspired the government to take serious action through resolute regulation.
The two girls started out this movement when they were still 13 and 15. Given their effort and enormous exposure, the sisters were recently recognised as one of the world’s Young Wonders by CNN Heroes. Most importantly, they have proven how big impacts can start from grassroot movement, small and simple.
This is a call not only for Balinese residents and tourists, but for the global citizens. Plastic waste is a global issue that has corrupted our lands, environmental conditions and eventually our own health. The lawmakers only kick start the movement, but the progress for a better living environment is on our shoulders.