Seasonal Waste Management in the Southern Coasts of Bali, Indonesia

Abstract

The current waste problem in Indonesia has drawn serious attention from the local, national, and international communities. According to Jambeck et al. (2015), Indonesia produces 0.48 to 1.29 million metric tons of waste to the oceans every year. It makes the country become the second-largest marine debris contributor after China (Jambeck et al., 2015). Marine waste is defined as any manufactured or processed solid material produced by humans which is discarded or disposed of in the marine and coastal environment (Jeftic et al., 2009). The population growth and the changing lifestyle of modern Indonesian society have increased waste production, especially in urban areas (Prajati & Pesurnay, 2019). Floating marine debris is distributed and deposited along the coastlines due to the dynamic aspects of oceanography, i.e., currents, waves, and wind (Galgani et al., 2015; Tong et al., 2021). Seasonal changes influence the movement patterns and the speed of currents and wind, which will affect the volume of marine waste deposited in the coastal areas. The high rainfall during the rainy or monsoon season (November-April) increases the amount of waste washed into waterways (sewers and rivers), increasing marine debris. During the rainy season, the currents and wind speed on the surface tend to be strong, washing the floating marine debris, especially plastic, ashore (Tong et al., 2021). The nature of plastic waste, which tends to be lightweight, buoyant, and easy to be carried away by currents, wind, and tides, contributes to this debris accumulating along the coastlines (Lavers & Bond, 2017). This has caused a growing volume of plastic waste on the coasts of Indonesia every year.