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Trash tidal wave coats normally pristine Bali beach
Indonesia has a mammoth marine waste problem, ranking as one of the world's biggest contributors of plastic pollution and marine debris.
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Trash collectors remove plastic and other debris washed ashore at Kedonganan Beach, Badung regency, in Bali on April 12, 2023. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
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tidal wave of plastic trash has left a normally pristine beach in Bali awash with garbage, a bleak annual event caused by the monsoon that has left tourists vexed and local officials scrambling to clean up.
Indonesia has a mammoth marine waste problem, ranking as one of the world's biggest contributors of plastic pollution and marine debris.
Images showed Kedonganan beach in Bali's popular Kuta area covered in discarded plastic bottles, cups and packaging, much of which was driven towards Bali from other cities by prevailing monsoon winds and rains.
"I call on all people in Indonesia, don't litter in empty lands, don't throw rubbish on cliffs and rivers because it will end up on sea and will arrive at our beautiful beaches," said local environment agency official Anak Agung Dalem.
Around 300 officers and six excavators were made available to help clear the trash, he said, with a local NGO also helping out.
For tourists -- on whom much of Bali's economy depends -- the garbage-strewn sands were a stark contrast to what they had seen in travel brochures.
"I came here because I heard that it was a very nice place to visit, but what I see is all of this plastic. It's a real disaster for me," said Frenchman Denis Le Merre, who flew from Australia.
