Bali, ECNETNews – Seasonal waste phenomenon during the west monsoon season has captured the attention of both central and local governments in Bali. The incoming debris is significantly covering the pristine white sands along the island’s beaches.
Popular beaches like Samigita, Seminyak, Legian, and Kuta consistently experience high levels of waste during this season. This ocean debris accumulation occurs annually, especially in December, January, and February, with amounts soaring up to 500 tons per day across these beaches.
I Wayan Puspa Negara, a member of the Badung Regional House of Representatives and an environmental activist, explained that the positioning of Samigita beach directly affects its susceptibility to west monsoon winds. “It’s a challenge to combat this issue unless we manage the waste in the ocean, which is currently millions of tons. Regular clean-up activities are essential,” he stated.
Puspa Negara recalled that in the 1980s, the waste brought by the west winds was seen as a blessing for the local community, as they utilized driftwood for firewood and plant fertilizer. However, he noted that the current waste composition is more complex, comprising both organic and substantial quantities of plastic and household waste. “The beaches along Samigita now appear extremely dirty and unkempt,” he added.
The floating waste arriving at these shores is not solely from Bali; it comes from various regions, including West, Central, and East Java, as well as from several foreign countries, as indicated by the diverse branding on the plastic waste deposited on the sands.
This influx of debris tends to diminish by March, as the wind direction shifts from east to west, thereby facilitating the cleaning process. “As long as the winds blow from west to east, the beaches in Badung facing west will continue to be inundated with waste,” Puspa explained.
Addressing this seasonal waste crisis requires advanced technology and precise management strategies. “We need better technology to capture waste in the ocean. Ideally, there would be large vessels deployed at sea to gather the waste before sorting it,” he suggested.
Efforts to recycle plastic waste seem daunting, given that current processes still rely heavily on manual labor. The existing local waste processing facilities in Seminyak are also operating at full capacity. “We should establish waste processing facilities similar to those in Singapore to handle such complex waste streams, which often contain a mix of microplastics, plastics, and various household items,” concluded Wayan Puspa Negara.
