Things are heating up in more ways than one. Also, there is something in the air and I wish there wasn’t.
Sitting outside on the patio of my house the other night I was reminded of the time when the Suwung rubbish dump caught fire a couple of years ago. That was not a good thing. The same reeking smell of burnt plastic and rubbish was in the air and in my eyes. I recall it got so toxic back then, as the fire burnt out of control for weeks, that it was hard to go outside at all anywhere around town and more so in the Canggu area.
The fire was eventually put out but they were definitely terrible days and nights, with the stench in the nostrils and irritation in the eyes. The difference this time is that the cuplrits are the common punters, the local residents, doing the burning as the local govt. banned the dumping of organic material at the Suwung landfill site from April 1 – and they weren’t fooling around. The government told local residents they need to separate organic from other rubbish materials at their homes and trucks will continue to take the plastic and paper to rubbish tip. It wasn’t exactly clear what they should do with the organic part. Now, it is reported that rubbish is being left out on the street all over town and some people are burning it, mainly at night. This is obviously illegal and hazardous for one’s health, but the options are not very clear.
I, like many, use Ecobali recycling, who take away the non-organic rubbish, and theoretically recycle it, while the organic is placed in a compost bin at the house. It has been mentioned that a lot of people on the island don’t have a garden where they can use the compost. Fair enough. That makes sense, but in fact, I don’t think I have ever used the compost in my garden since using this system, which is now some five years ago. So, personally, I think people should try the compost bin method as soon as they can. The bins are available on shoppe or tokopedia – about 300k.
Meanwhile, I do recall there was an announcement late last year that the central government’s new technology incinerators, or the Waste to Energy (WTE) initiative, were on the way, and in particular, were going to start operation in Bali in April this year. No sign of that. The WTE facility is said to be able to transfer the heat from the burning garbage to boil water and turn it into steam to spin a turbine and generate electricity. Each plant could “shrink landfill needs by 90 per cent over time. If large enough, some plants can even light up a mid-sized city” it said in a news report last year.
However, according to recent reports, the WTE system is still 1.5 to 2 years away from opening, and also still depends on the composting of organic material. So, the challenge still exists for local people to do something constructive with their organic rubbish – besides burn it. The govt says it is now distributing compost sacks to residents but this too is taking time. The content of those sacks will be sorted into fertilizer or animal feed. They are also trying to clean up all the streets as much as possible during this time. Obviously, the whole thing is very complicated but we hope it will find quick solution.
Get ya composting system ASAP, or contact your local banjar for other options. There are also professional services like Urban Compost, Magi Farm or EcoBali with some options. Also remember you have the option to reduce how much rubbish you produce – think about it.
Just like over there in the Middle East, solutions can be found if you look for them hard enough. We can all hope and pray that the cease fire holds tight over the coming weeks and the world can find some peace again.
Photos Above: Befores spinning some tunes down at Oyster Dealer last Friday. Then Saturday out and about to Sardine and later Berawa’s Shady Pig. And I believe that is the rubbish sorting operation in Berawa.
More. During the week I had some friends over for food one evening and then as you do, one drink follows another and before you realise everyone is pretty smashed. There had been a bit of rain about during the evening and I didn’t give it much thought as people departed. Next morning there is a missed call on the phone and one friend has had an accident on the way home. Not a bad one thankfully, but enough to make one think it it is always better not to drink and drive, no matter how sober you feel. Take care friends.
Have a good weekend you all!
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