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Australian tourists were stunned by sad photos showing trash-covered Bali beaches, sparking debate over the island’s merit as a much-loved tourist destination.
A horrified Sydney woman shared photos of the island’s famous Legian Beach.
In the images, the sand is completely covered in plastic debris.
Some online forums now cynically refer to summer in Bali as ‘garbage season’, at least on the island’s busy east coast.
Legian, located north of Kuta and south of Seminyak, is a favorite tourist spot for millions of Australians.
The reality of Bali’s beaches compared to the glossy images in tourist advertisements has been called into question after photos surfaced showing rubbish-strewn beaches.
It’s not exactly the beach walk tourists were expecting. A photo shared online of Legian beach in Bali
Australian tourists have been stunned by sad photos showing trash-covered Bali beaches, sparking debate over the island’s merit as a much-loved tourist destination.
The images sparked heated debate, with many asking if they showed ‘the real Bali’ and whether the beloved vacation spot is still worth visiting.
“At least I know where the sewer outlet is in Legian, absolutely disgusting today,” said Tracey, who shared the photos online.
Others corrected her, saying it wasn’t the sewage, but a recurring seasonal problem in which ocean currents bring floating trash to eastern Bali’s beaches.
During the rainy season, from October to March, tons of water bottles, food containers, straws, cutlery, and bags washed up by the sea and rivers are washed up by ocean currents and dumped daily on the beaches of Kuta, Seminyak, Legian and Jimbaran in Bali.
The once-pristine beach is a hotspot for tourists who flock to the destination to soak up the sun and enjoy the party atmosphere (Pictured: Kuta Beach, Bali)
A familiar sight along Bali’s east coast in summer: tractors cleaning up the beach
In December and January, the entire east coast of Bali is awash in rubbish, and only a small army of dedicated volunteers fight to keep it clean.
In December and January, the entire east coast of Bali is awash in rubbish, with a small group of dedicated volunteers fighting a losing battle to keep it clean.
Tractors dumping trash from Bali’s beaches are commonplace.
In December, 600 tons were collected, according to Made Gede Dwipayana, Marine Litter Disposal Detection Coordinator of the Badung Regency Environment and Sanitation Service.
Just one Christmas day, 25 tractors were sent to Kuta beach to clean it up.
However, some locals are not well trained in the latest beach cleanup methods and resort to a more short-term approach.
Bali’s beaches are not always virgin, and in summer they are far from that
From October to March, the beaches of eastern Bali are flooded with garbage
“We saw Bali people picking up trash and then digging a hole in the sand to bury it,” said one person on Facebook.
The photos shocked people unfamiliar with Bali, leaving some puzzled why anyone would think of a beach holiday there when they can go to clean beaches in Australia.
“Why would you go there when Australia has the best beaches in the world?” a Sydney woman said in the Facebook thread.
“That’s why I don’t swim in the ocean in Bali,” said a Newcastle woman.
‘If you go to Bali for its beaches, then you’ve totally missed it!’ said a mother from Canberra.
A Sydney surfer claimed Bali’s beaches have looked like this in summer for “at least two decades.”
‘All the rubbish is washed up in huge piles on Tuban beach, where trucks take it to a dump. About five tons are removed every day,” she wrote.
Some commented that the beaches on the other side of the island are still clean, even at this time of year.
More than 100 volunteers and four front loaders (pictured) were sent to Kuta beach to clean up the rubbish. An estimated 600 tons of debris washed up along the entire Bali coastline from October to December.
The west coast receives the runoff from the towns! Go to the east side, the water is fine,’ said one.
Others commented that the eastern beaches are much cleaner in June and July.
Many said that the island’s beaches are clean outside of the rainy season, adding that Bali still has a lot to offer despite the garbage problem during the rainy season.
Many said that the warmth of the locals, the bars and restaurants, the temples, the Balinese culture and the natural beauty of the hinterland are the best things about Bali.
In 2022, more Australians visited Bali than any other national. Over 352,000 Australians attended there, with Indians being the next largest group at just 93,000.
The biggest year in recent memory was 2019, when 1.23 million Australians visited.