Businesses Grapple With Bali's Ban On Single-Use Plastics

Businesses in Bali are struggling to adapt to a recent ban on single-use plastics on the holiday island, with many resorting to less sustainable alternatives or expressing frustration over the lack of support and guidance from the local authorities.

- 

JAKARTA – Businesses in Bali are struggling to adapt to a recent ban on single-use plastics on the holiday island, with many resorting to less sustainable alternatives or expressing frustration over the lack of support and guidance from the local authorities.

In April, Bali Governor I Wayan Koster issued a circular banning the use of plastic bags, cups, straws, and styrofoam in businesses, government offices, schools, hotels, restaurants, markets, and places of worship, as part of efforts to tackle the island's growing waste problem.

Businesses that fail to comply may face permit revocation, while villages that do not enforce the policy risk losing government assistance.

Since the regulation took effect, many cafes, coffee shops, and restaurants in Bali have begun replacing single-use plastic cups with paper alternatives.

However, Mr. Catur Yuda Hariyani, director of the Bali Environmental Education Centre (PPLH), argued that the shift to paper cups does little to address the island's mounting waste problem.