In short. Since April 2025 the "Movement for a Waste-Free Bali" (governor's circular No. 9) has applied in Bali: waste is divided into three kinds, organic (food, leaves, offerings), inorganic (plastic, paper, metal, glass, fabric) and residual (cigarette butts, tissues, nappies, sachets), and only the residual should go to the landfill. Four kinds of single-use plastic are banned: kresek bags, polystyrene boxes, straws and drinking water in small plastic bottles, so carry a bag and your own bottle. The village arranges collection on its own schedule and rules: when you move in, ask who collects and how much it costs, get three bins and do not burn waste on the plot. The sanctions are aimed at villages and businesses, whose payments may be held back and whose permits may be reviewed.
What changed. In April 2025 the governor of Bali issued circular No. 9, the "Movement for a Waste-Free Bali" (Gerakan Bali Bersih Sampah). The page of the Bali Environment Department holds guidance to it for villages, markets, offices, schools, temples, hotels and restaurants. Under the press release of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment of 10 June 2026, from 1 July 2026 all residents must sort waste where it arises: homes, banjars (neighbourhood communities), markets, hotels and offices. Organic waste has not been accepted at landfills since 1 April 2026, it says there too.
Why the island needs it. The guidance gives Bali government figures: the island produces 3,463 tonnes of waste a day, 65 % of it organic and 17.25 % plastic. Unsorted waste is almost impossible to recycle, so 42.79 % goes to the landfill, and 23.2 % ends up in the environment, that is, in rivers, on beaches and in the ocean.
Three kinds of waste. The guidance divides waste like this.
- Organic (sampah organik): leftover food, leaves and branches from the garden, flowers and palm leaves after offerings, animal waste. A tip from the guidance: if you keep food scraps separate from other organic waste, there is less smell.
- Inorganic (sampah anorganik): plastic, paper and cardboard, metal and cans, glass bottles, fabric. It does not decompose by itself, but it can be recycled.
- Residual (sampah residu): cigarette butts, tissues, nappies and sanitary pads, greasy food paper, sachets. This is what cannot be recycled, and only it should go to the landfill.
What is banned. Under the guidance, four kinds of single-use plastic may not be used in Bali: "kresek" bags (kantong kresek), polystyrene boxes (styrofoam), plastic straws and drinking water in plastic bottles under one litre. Companies are banned from producing such water on the island, and suppliers from delivering it. Shops, cafes and other venues must not hand out single-use plastic. Everyone without exception is banned from dumping waste outside designated places, especially near lakes, springs, rivers and on the shore, and village rules ban burning waste: burning plastic in the open releases dioxins.
What to use instead. The guidance suggests a cloth bag instead of a bag, your own container or a box made of paper and leaves instead of polystyrene, a metal, silicone or paper straw, your own bottle or thermos mug instead of small bottles. At home the easiest way to keep water is in gallons, as big jugs are not covered by the ban. Another way is refill shops where you bring your own container: the guidance has a list of them, for example Zero Waste Bali, Bali Buda, Alive Wholefoods Store and Mana Market Ubud.
Who collects the waste. Sorting and collection are arranged by the village. Each village (desa) and traditional community (desa adat) must set up a waste service, adopt its own rules (perdes and pararem) and collect waste separately on a schedule. The guidance gives this benchmark: organic every two days, inorganic every two days, residual once a week, with each village setting the exact timetable itself. The village also sets the collection fee. Inorganic waste fit for recycling can be handed to recyclable collectors, waste banks (bank sampah) and TPS3R points. For organic waste, the guidance advises processing it on the spot: a composter, a Takakura basket, a "modern teba" (a concrete pipe in the ground where organic waste is dropped) or Black Soldier Fly larvae.
If you rent a place.
- When you move in, ask the owner or manager who collects the waste, on which days and how much it costs, and whether collection is included in the rent.
- Ask for three separate bins or bags: organic, inorganic, residual. If there is one shared bin, ask the owner how they sort waste themselves.
- Find out whether the plot has a composter or a teba. Then organic waste can go there, and it does not need collecting.
- Do not burn waste on the plot and do not leave bags by the road, even if the neighbours do.
- If your waste is not collected, talk to the owner or, through them, to the banjar. Order on the spot is kept by the village and the community.
How else to check a villa before paying is covered in a separate guide, and on electricity and PLN tokens there is a guide to electricity.
Who is punished and how. The sanctions in the guidance are aimed at villages and businesses. A village that has not set up sorting and has not restricted plastic may have its budget aid and the village head's payments held back. A business may have its licence reviewed or revoked and be publicly named on social media as a venue that does not look after nature and is "not worth visiting". Order is overseen by the Pamong Praja police (Satpol PP) together with villages and public organisations. For residents, village rules may introduce their own sanctions, including under community custom (sanksi adat), so it is better to learn the rules of your village from the owner.
What this means for you. At home keep three bins: organic, inorganic and residual. Carry a bag and a water bottle: bags and small bottles are banned in Bali's shops. For the house it is more convenient to take water in gallons. If you rent a villa or a house, on the very first day ask the owner who collects the waste and on which days. Do not burn waste or dump it by the road, on the beach or by the river.