Why Bali’s beaches are buried in rubbish - Asia Specific podcast, BBC World Service

Bali is facing a worsening rubbish crisis, with landfill restrictions causing trash to pile up, on an island already infamous for plastic-strewn beaches.

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As the main landfill site tightens rules on organic waste, local communities are left scrambling for alternatives, and in some cases, resorting to burning rubbish.

Indonesia’s president has even weighed in, criticising the island’s cleanliness and calling for urgent action. So, can Bali fix its rubbish problem or is the damage already done?

A local government official said they had to move money that was allocated to waste management to fund the national free food programme. But the federal government says the policy is part of a national government budget and says it does not instruct regional governments to reduce waste management allocations in support of the programme. 

"Budgeting priorities and fiscal decisions at the regional level remain under the authority of the respective local governments and relevant ministries overseeing regional administration and public finance," it says.

Find out more about Indonesia's free food programme on this Asia Specific episode 👉🏽 https://youtu.be/he5dh4d8I2Q?si=s2zH1tj7ECKY6_eY 

In this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi speaks to Bali-based journalist Ade Mardiyati and environmental campaigner Gary Bencheghib of Sungai Watch about what’s really driving Bali’s waste crisis, how waste is currently managed, why enforcement of plastic bans is uneven, and whether overtourism is overwhelming the island’s infrastructure.

UPDATE 18 May 2026: During the discussion in this program, a guest recounted a comment from a local government official in Batang regency, Central Java, saying that some funds the regency previously allocated for waste management had been redirected to the national government’s free nutritional meals program.

A spokesperson for Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency BGN says the free nutritional meals policy is part of a national government budget and says it does not instruct regional governments to reduce waste management allocations in support of the programme.

"Budgeting priorities and fiscal decisions at the regional level remain under the authority of the respective local governments and relevant ministries overseeing regional administration and public finance,”, the BGN spokeswoman said.

Find out more about Indonesia's free food programme on this Asia Specific episode 👉🏽 https://youtu.be/he5dh4d8I2Q?si=s2zH1tj7ECKY6_eY
00:00 - Introduction
01:39 - Why the Indonesian government shut down the Suwung landfill in Bali
02:10 - What most people in Bali are doing with their trash
03:05 - What is Sungai Watch, the NGO trying to solve Bali’s piling trash problem
05:22 - What the Indonesian government is doing about the problem of mounting rubbish
07:45 - Why the rest of Indonesia is also dealing with waste management
08:10 - Why Bali’s problem with trash is more difficult to solve compared to the rest of Indonesia
09:00 - How the Indonesia’s nationwide budget cut is affecting proper waste management policies
10:07 - How tourism contributes to the mounting trash in Bali
15:10 - Why Bali remains the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia

Watch more episodes of Asia Specific here 👉🏽 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4c3njIxB0KHuO8SS2mBMtUc

Instagram: @bbcworldservice
Email: asiaspecific@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Mariko Oi
Producers: Derek Cai, Rachel Lee
Camera: Muhammad Firdaus Bin Mohd Ansary, Rosalehin Bin Rosli, Fahmi Jamal
Editor: Bill Birtles

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