The beaches on the popular island are drowning in garbage. Tourists complain

The island of Bali, which has introduced a new tourist tax since February to protect its unique culture and nature, is struggling with its garbage problem. Waste accumulates especially on the popular Kedonganan and Jimbaran beaches on the southern part of the coast. It's all because of the monsoon, which threw the plastic lying in the ocean right onto the shore. Foreign tourists who were counting on a blissful holiday and paradise landscapes are really disappointed.

Garbage on the beaches in Bali

Balinese beaches are drowning in garbage. The latest photos from the island show no sand, only tons of plastic bottles that locals walk on as they try to clean up the mess. It all started with the monsoon, which brought heavy rains that washed away garbage, which then ended up in the ocean. The waste drifted hundreds of kilometers before settling on popular beaches. This scenario repeats itself in Bali every year, and although many places on the island have garbage problems, the southern parts of the coast suffer the most from November to March. The current situation on Kedonganan and Jimbaran beaches is critical. “I call on all Indonesians not to litter in empty areas, not to throw garbage on cliffs and into rivers, because it will end up in the sea and reach our beautiful beaches,” appeals an official of the local environmental protection agency Anak Agung Dalem.

Residents clean up, tourists complain

The island's inhabitants immediately took action, but the amount of waste to be collected is really large. Cleaning will certainly take longer than tourists would like. Foreign visitors complain that the beaches do not look like they do in the photos. “I came here because I heard it was a place worth visiting, but all I see is plastic. This is a real disaster for me. (…) I will never come back here,” laments Frenchman Denis Le Merre, who flew from Australia. “If the garbage problem is solved, more people will come here,” says a resident of the Kedonganan region.