Environmental groups say Indonesia is experiencing a plastic waste emergency as some major landfills edge closer to capacity while new illegal dumping sites emerge. The government says it is committed to solving the country’s waste management problems as experts call for corporations to take responsibility for their rubbish. The UN hardscaped the aquatic plastic pollution as “a slow-motion catastrophe,” and current research found Indonesia to be the second-chief contributor to it after China.

“Overconsumption of single-use plastic and bad waste management are largely to blame. Indonesia has some of the most biodiverse and important coral reef systems in the world. But, over the past few decades, those habitats have faced a number of challenges, including plastic pollution. According to the UN, around 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into the ocean every year. Indonesia contributes more than 600,000 tonnes of that, estimates the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.” UN said. https://www.newsecuritybeat.org/2021/06/indonesia-facing-plastic-waste-emergency/

Aljazeera reported that “Bali’s Environment and Sanitation Service has confirmed the tidal rubbish problem is worse this year than in 2020 despite the resort island recording its lowest visitor numbers in more than 10 years because of COVID-19-related travel bans.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/2/5/balis-beaches-blighted-by-rubbish-washed-in-by-the-tide

Aljazeera/New Security Beat.