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中文Waste and Plastic Rules in Bali: How Collection Works at a Villa
In short: waste in Bali is not handled by a single municipal service. It runs through three layers, the banjar (the local customary community), private haulers and TPS3R sorting stations. Single-use plastic has been restricted in retail and food service since 1 July 2019 under Peraturan Gubernur Bali No. 97 Tahun 2018 on limiting single-use plastic waste: plastic bags, plastic straws and polystyrene items. Burning rubbish in the garden is not allowed, and neither is dumping it into a river, a ravine or onto a rice field. For a villa tenant three things matter: who pays for collection, where the bags actually go, and how bulky waste is handled.
Why this matters more than it did five years ago
For decades most of south Bali's rubbish went to TPA Suwung, the landfill near Denpasar. That landfill is closed: the governor announced a full stop to waste intake from 23 December 2025, and Denpasar and Badung were pushed to sort waste locally through TPS3R facilities and modern processing stations. The practical consequence is simple, waste no longer disappears out of sight, it has to be separated where it is produced.
Who collects the rubbish from a villa
There are three arrangements, and in practice they overlap.
- The banjar. The customary community keeps order in its own area and runs a collection service funded by a small monthly contribution per house or villa. Either the owner or the tenant pays it, and the lease should say which.
- A private hauler. In tourist areas such as Canggu, Berawa, Seminyak and Uluwatu private companies collect on a schedule, usually several times a week, for a fixed monthly fee. In managed villas this is normally part of the service.
- Self drop-off. Some lanes and compounds expect residents to carry bags to a shared bin or a nearby TPS3R point. Whether the villa staff or the tenant does this should be established before you move in.
Amounts differ by area and by provider, so there is no universal figure. As a guide for the current season, expect a modest monthly fee per villa, not a free service. Ask for the amount and the collection frequency to be stated in the agreement rather than left as local custom.
What you may not burn or dump
- Burning rubbish on the property, including leaves and plastic. The smoke and smell reach the neighbours quickly and the banjar hears about it, this is one of the most common everyday complaints.
- Dumping into a river, canal, ravine, on the beach or on a rice field. Communities fine for it, and a damaged relationship with the neighbours costs more than any fine.
- Mixing everything into one bag where the compound sorts waste. Organic waste, plastic, glass and paper are expected to be separated, otherwise a hauler may simply leave the bag behind.
- Leaving bags by the road outside the collection schedule. Dogs and monkeys will scatter them within the hour, and the neighbours will blame whoever put them out.
The single-use plastic restriction in practice
Under the current provincial regulation, single-use plastic bags, plastic straws and polystyrene items are not used in retail and hospitality, in force since 1 July 2019. Shops and cafes largely comply: at the till you will be offered a paper bag or asked to bring a reusable one, and a drink usually arrives without a straw or with a paper one.
What this means for daily life in a villa:
- keep two or three reusable bags and a water bottle at home, otherwise every trip to the shop adds plastic;
- buy drinking water in large containers or via a refill delivery rather than in crates of small bottles;
- ask staff not to put food scraps into the general bag if the villa has compost or a separate organic stream;
- take glass and plastic containers to a sorting point if there is one nearby instead of the general bin.
For the exact wording and any later amendments, check the current version of the regulation on the Bali provincial government portal. For the street-level routine, ask the villa manager or the banjar: rules on one lane can differ from the lane next door.
What to ask before signing a lease
- Who pays for waste collection, and whether it is included in the service.
- Where bags go and on which days the hauler comes.
- Whether the villa has separated waste streams and who maintains them.
- What to do with bulky waste: old furniture, a mattress, appliances, tyres. These are usually charged separately and are not part of the monthly contribution.
- Whether there is a TPS3R point or shared bin within walking distance.
Bottom line
Waste in Bali is organised at the level of the community and the district rather than by one city service. A tenant only needs to settle three points: the fee and the schedule, the drop-off point, and what happens with bulky items. Single-use plastic is restricted and largely absent from shops and cafes, so a reusable bag and a bottle in the house save both irritation and money.
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