BALI ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION FROM BANANA LEAVES TO PLASTIC BAGS
Many years ago, the traditional Bali packaging – a banana leaf – was replaced by the plastic bag. This change was very rapid and many Indonesians, especially the older generation, could unfortunately not really grasp what this meant for the environment. Instead of banana leaves that decompose really quickly, we now have plastic bags in the ditches, rivers and, finally, in the sea, making environmental protection a key issue on Bali.
BALI'S RAPID DEVELOPMENT
Even if it seems very simple and superficial, the banana leaf example is typical of the entire development of Bali, which in recent years, has shown an amazing pace in all sectors. Every year the number of hotels, cars, mopeds and tourists increase in Bali, mostly concentrated in the south of the island. This rapid development also causes problems, in particular an immense problem with waste disposal, and as a business enterprise, we see it as our duty to make the greatest possible contribution, at least in terms of environmental protection on Bali.
HOW WE HELP
In our hotels we started with measurements that are “normal” for western standards, for instance asking our guests to switch off the lights, ventilator or air conditioning if they are not in the room, or to use their towels more often. We have installed a water-saving button for toilet flushing and equipped the entire hotel with energy-saving lamps. The beach clean-up actions that are organised regularly have in the meantime become very popular in Bali and are carried out by us and other business enterprises.
It is, however, more effective to tackle these problems at the source, and so we have banned one-way plastic packaging from our camp kitchens and restaurants and only use reusable containers for portioning and storing food, and for our take-away breakfasts – which is quite expensive in Bali. At the reception at Bali Surf Camp, Seminyak and Canggu, guests can borrow a jute bag when they have shopping to do in the supermarket around the corner.
KIMA REFILL BOTTLES
We do not sell any beverages in plastic bottles and offer environmentally friendly water dispensers in all of our camps to use with our reusable stainless-steel, PVC-free Kima refillable bottle. This dramatically reduces the usage of plastic water bottles that are bought in supermarkets by our guests. Use our bottle to refill with fresh drinking water in the camp at any time. The enormous amounts of plastic waste are becoming an increasing problem in Bali. To help to keep Bali as plastic-free as possible buy a Kima bottle and unlimited drinking water for only € 20. The income from the drink bottles goes mostly to the “R.O.L.E. Foundation”, an environmental and social project in Bali, which Kima supports as the main sponsor. We also work with the renowned and trustworthy waste disposal company “Bali-Recycling”, which specialises in recycling and also disposes of hazardous waste safely.
GREAT NEWS!
On 21st December 2018 Bali’s governor has enacted a ban of single-use plastics! It is expected to reduce the amount of plastic by 70% in 2019!