The Curious Cat is a journey where I aim to reconnect with my inner-child and explore my curiosity. I pinpoint themes & topics I’ve been interested in within the last 7 days, ask myself questions about them and then write about them. I hope you find value within this issue and have a fantastic day doing what you love.
Every year we humans generate +800,000 olympic sized swimming pools of trash.
240,000 of those pools of trash are burnt or dumped. So today, we’ll plunge ourselves into this tip (yes; pun very much intended).
I’ve been living in Bali for the past 5 months and fortunately, there are very few downsides to life here:
The Balinese people are the friendliest people I have ever met.
The cost of living is meagre when compared to Europe.
The weather is often perfect - rarely too hot and never too cold.
But there is one issue with life in Bali…and it affects everyone. Us Bules, the locals and the greater environment. That issue is Bali’s Waste Management (or lack of it).
In Bali, you see heaps of waste sitting on beaches, piled on the side of the road, and polluting rivers. Nearly half of the plastic that Indonesia produces, ends up in the sea. The beauty of the sunrise and sunset is more often than not tarnished by plumes of dirty smoke when trash is burnt. It’s a significant problem; both at a commercial and residential level.
According to a 2015 study, Indonesia ranked number 2 of all countries worldwide that poorly managed plastic waste.
To better understand the situation regarding Bali’s waste management, let us look at more structured counterparts. There are 3 core pillars supporting all prosperous waste management systems:
Waste management begins at the source - Individuals are encouraged to divide their waste into recyclables, organics, and those that can’t be recycled.
Curbside Collection - This is the process of leaving your waste in bins at the side of the road. A contracted company will then come and collect this waste.
Designated facilities - The contracted company will then deliver their newly inherited waste to designated facilities: recycling facilities, composting facilities and landfill sites for whatever is left over.
In Bali, 0/3 of those pillars are met.
Limited waste management from the source - There are few bins in Bali, let alone recyclable ones. Instead, waste is either burnt or informally dumped somewhere. Why? It is both easier and cheaper to burn or dump.
Non-existent curbside collection - In my 5 months in Bali, I can recall seeing only one dustbin truck. I think this is the primary reason why people burn or dump their waste; they have no choice. There is no system that collects rubbish at scale.
A lack of designated facilities - Only 4% of Bali’s waste from 2018 reached a recycling facility; and less than 10% of plastics were recycled (the EU average is 38%). The majority of the waste ends up at landfill sites; which are known to contaminate water, soil, salt and eventually pollute the air when the landfill is burnt. To make matters worse, there are only 5 legal landfills in Bali.
With the lack of infrastructure to collect and then dispose of waste, everything is being dumped everywhere by everyone. Tourists actually produce thrice the waste that local Balinese people do.
It should be no surprise that the impoverished are the most affected by this pernicious cycle. The consequences of an unsustainable waste management system (toxic gases, poor sanitation and contaminated water & soil) act as a buffer dividing those living and not living in poverty. By adhering to this foul system, we’re digging the hole deeper for them. And their contribution is next to none!
Lifting its 27 million remaining citizens above the poverty line, the Indonesian government's paramount objective is to provide them with shelter, water, and electricity flow. Orchestrating a clean and efficient waste system comes second to that mission. Plus, there are +700 desas in Bali (municipalities) and each one operates its own waste and recycling systems. So due to political, geographical and economic reasons, forging a sole island-wide system is not within attainable reach as of 2023.
With the universal island-wide option in the bin, what can community-led initiatives do to pave the way? I came across a few projects that are gaining traction within Bali.
Munduk Moding Plantation: a 5* eco-hotel that harvests rainwater, opts for natural ventilation and is plastic-free.
Pangea: a carbon-negative brand that invests in plastic cleanups, and then recycles the waste to build products like sunglasses.
Nuanu: A 44-hectare project, reinventing the concept of cities, that puts renewable energy and waste management at the forefront of their mission. They also subscribe to ‘Tri Hita Karana’ - a philosophy from Bali that emphasises the balance between humans, nature, and the divine. It teaches that in order to achieve prosperity, these three aspects must be in harmony with each other. With this trifecta, they hope to build a territory that inspires new ways of living and regenerating our environment.
Then you have a whole market for recyclables, led by businesses, not the government. The approach has largely been:
(1) Knock on people’s doors and talk to them about how malpractices are poisoning Bali’s ecosystems and its people
(2) Then encourage them to separate waste, by using 3 bins
(3) Once separated, a private company will collect the waste and deliver it to the appropriate recycling facility, for a small fee
(4) The recycling facility will then recycle the waste, and sell it to whoever wants it. A market for recycled materials is created
Under this system, everyone is incentivised to act sustainably and thus, the government’s decision to not prioritise waste development, is made redundant.
But there is a small caveat…over 80% of Bali’s waste is organic. And buyers of organic matter, are few.
So given the above solution doesn’t work for 80% of Bali’s waste, what other options are there? Let’s look at Singapore….again.
70 years ago, Singapore was a third-world country. GDP per capita was sub $300, it was infamously dirty and shanty towns were prominent.
But today, Singapore meets the criteria of a successful waste management system by establishing a thriving collection, treatment and disposal flow for its waste; all while being the 2nd most densely populated country in the world (7,800 people per km2). I don’t want to harp on, but 59% of their waste is recycled! Bali reaches a mere 4%.
Singapore has nailed the ‘collection’ phase, by making it easier to dispose of waste in an eco-friendly manner.
The bins then get collected by trucks and are transported to the designated plant. More than half of the USA’s waste ends up in landfill sites, and Singapore is no different. In seeking to be more space efficient, they burn the trash, reduce its volume by 90% and then bury it within landfill sites.
However, the government have realised that landfill sites are a temporary solution to a permanent problem. In the hope of combatting that, they harness the heat emitted from the incinerator to produce electricity. Their Tuas WTE plant not only disposes of trash but provides 3% of the nation’s electricity needs!
In pure Singaporean fashion, it doesn’t stop there. They have recently started recycling the ash remains of waste. This newly created ash can then be used to create concrete, further fueling their circular waste economy.
So Singapore’s success can be largely attributed to its people’s dedication and the government’s investment into building a more environmentally friendly waste management regime. Two ingredients that Bali does not boast.
So after a few days of thinking about this, I am left with no viable solution and no “EUREKA” moment. The simple answer is “recycle” more. However, with limited buyers of recycled materials and the laissez-faire attitude of policymakers, it's tricky to envision a swift and effective resolution.