Do the Right Thing: The Proper Disposal of Waste on Bali
In less than one generation, the reality of waste in Bali has totally metamorphosed. During This specific era of globalization, there are currently exponentially more plastics, man-made rubbish in addition to also hazardous wastes produced than ever before. Though the waste has changed, old attitudes have not. Thirty years ago there was very little man-made refuse. Most throwaways were made of organic materials like banana leaves in addition to also ceramic cups in addition to also bowls. Villagers could bring their own homemade container to the market.
nevertheless waste just doesn’t rot away naturally inside the sun anymore like which was left to do inside the old days. Throwing trash behind the village (tanah tegal) or inside the river was appropriate because organic garbage could eventually decompose in addition to also enrich the earth. Because all of the urban migration in addition to also economic development are taking place on a relatively very modest island, the problems of wastes are all the more accentuated. Like the rest of the developing world, Bali has experienced a huge population explosion. Compared to 3.15 million people living on the island in 2000, Bali currently has over 4.1 million residents.
Waste is actually a misuse of resources which needs to be recovered by using recycling methods such as composting, producing bio-gas coming from decaying food in addition to also recovering plastics, paper, metals in addition to also batteries. Fortunately, there are several responsible in addition to also licensed operators on the island who provide This specific very basic nevertheless very necessary service.
People who live in both urban in addition to also rural areas dispose of their trash in containers which are picked up by the trash trucks coming from private waste disposal companies or coming from the Cleaning in addition to also Park Services Department (Dinas Kebersihan dan Pertamanan). These companies will take virtually whatever is actually in your trash bin. When customers have extra waste, coconut husks or heaps of garden cuttings, they just give the truck driver a little extra. Pickup times vary coming from every day, twice a week or on Saturdays with no pickups on national in addition to also Hindu holidays. Monthly fees range coming from Rp.50,000 to Rp.75,000. The fee for a professional waste management company like Bali Recycling, which processes waste responsibly, is actually Rp.1 million to Rp.4 million per year.
Pemulung (scavengers) in addition to also pengepul (scrap/rubbish collectors) are This specific country’s unofficial recycling system, however they can actually cause pollution by avoiding the costs of proper disposal of the waste they collect. River dumps in addition to also mangrove dumps are used by scavengers, private trash collectors, village disposal trucks in addition to also others to avoid the costs of transporting waste for proper disposal at bona fide government landfills. Even official landfills like Suwung, just south of Sanur is actually way over its maximum capacity, with the smell in addition to also smoke reaching as far as 6km coming from the dump itself.
The public, including surprisingly most well-educated resident westerners, are generally ignorant or apathetic about the pollution they produce. Expats know what they are supposed to do, nevertheless most don’t actually do which since which’s just easier to have someone take which away in addition to also forget about which. Most of Bali’s population is actually not actually aware of the dangers in addition to also damage they do by not disposing of waste properly.
Hazardous Waste Disposal
Don’t throw old batteries in your regular trash. Containing highly toxic materials like mercury, lead, cadmium in addition to also lithium, batteries require special methods for proper disposal to ensure they don’t contaminate the environment in addition to also your health by polluting the air, the ground in addition to also waterways. The strong corrosive acids can cause burns to eyes in addition to also skin.
Every household in Bali throws AA or AAA batteries out every month. The cumulative effect of tens of thousands of modest batteries is actually extremely damaging. Even spent rechargeable batteries coming from cell phones, MP3 players in addition to also laptops contain toxic heavy metals which can jeopardize environmental integrity of both landfills in addition to also present a danger to the public. Car batteries are not disposable like AA in addition to also different dry cell batteries, nevertheless can be refurbished here by cleaning the terminals, replacing the battery acid in addition to also recharging. When car batteries can no longer be recharged, they are sold back to the battery shop when buying a brand new car battery.
Bali Recycling (Peduli Bali)
Tel: 081 9999 62239 | E-mail: info@balirecycling.com
Most of Bali’s waste disposal centres do not accept batteries because they are too toxic, don’t know how to handle them or do not contain the permits. Bali Recycling does accept mobile, watch, clock, flashlight in addition to also radio batteries. If a business, home or school wants to start disposing of their batteries properly, they need to purchase coming from Bali Recycling a collection bucket (Rp.450,000), which is actually collected when full.
Send Bali Recycling a list of your highly toxic B-3 Hazardous Waste materials — pesticides, heavy metals (mercury, lead, cadmium, lithium) in addition to also PCBs, styrofoam — in addition to also they’ll get back to you within two days having a cost. Maximum charge is actually $50.
Bali Recycling also accepts air conditioners in addition to also refrigerators if the Freon has been removed. If there’s a problem having a fridge, people just bring which to an appliance repair shop or a repairman visits the house in addition to also brings Freon with him to replace the lost Freon. A special pump in addition to also tank is actually used to catch Freon gas.
EcoBali Recycling | www.eco-bali.com
EcoBali Recycling accepts big plastic bags full of all types of trash, including styrofoam, for a donation of Rp.50,000. For trash collection service, they charge Rp.1 million per year.
If you live on Bali in addition to also produce waste, you have to pay to have which taken care of properly. What is actually needed is actually a brand new concept of waste to ensure our rubbish ends up being used as a valuable resource rather than as a source of pollution. Educating children in addition to also the masses about garbage issues is actually important, nevertheless only a practical in addition to also effective waste collection infrastructure can create real behavioural modifications. People need to focus first on what they are doing at home in addition to also inside the office. which’s no Great telling others to care for the environment if you don’t. By setting a Great example for your family, friends in addition to also neighbours, others will follow.
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Do the Right Thing: The Proper Disposal of Waste on Bali
Do the Right Thing: The Proper Disposal of Waste on Bali