Managing Waste, Maintaining Harmony

Cokorda Yudhistira

· 4 minutes read

For the people of the Padangtegal customary village in Ubud, managing waste is more than just about hygiene. It is also about maintaining harmony between human beings and the environment.

Since 2012, Padangtegal customary village (Pakraman) administration in Ubud district, Gianyar regency, Bali, has been involving its people in managing waste. Residents and business owners in the tourist village have been asked to sort their waste. Organic waste is collected in a compost center established near the Ubud Monkey Forest, while non-organic waste is sold to waste collectors.

Aside from reducing the waste that is sent to the landfill in Gianyar, the village’s waste management system also prevents the waste from polluting neighboring villages. The people of Padangtegal realize that environmental hygiene is an important asset for a village that depends on tourism.
The Padangtegal administration has issued a pararem (regulation) that requires all residents and visitors in the village to maintain cleanliness as part of maintaining palemahan – harmony between humans and nature. This was reaffirmed in a letter from the bendesa, the village leader of customary matters, which encourages all families and businesses in the village to sort and separate their waste.
“This is what we can do at the village level. We hope this effort will have an impact on Ubud, Gianyar and for Bali,” said Kadek Sudiarta, the environmental affairs leader of Padangtegal.
As a result, Padangtegal was bestowed the 2017 Environmentally Aware Village award for the village administration’s success in involving its residents maintaining environmental hygiene.
This award is the fruit of villagers’ dedication to managing their household waste. It took time to foster the awareness.
“A lot of the waste from households still mixed organic and non-organic waste,” said Padangtegal compost center manager Supardi.
The village administration and the compost center then set a waste collection schedule: Organic waste is picked up in the evening, and non-organic waste at dawn. Supardi said the schedule was set so the waste collection service would not disrupt tourism.
KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA
Two compost center workers unload waste from a garbage truck on 5 July 2019 at the integrated waste management center (TPST) at Padangtegal customary village in Ubud, Gianyar, Bali. The compost is used to fertilize the nearby Ubud Monkey Forest.
As a result, most of the 670 families and around 320 of more than 700 businesses in the village now sort their waste and are members of the compost center. The compost center has three trucks and one
pickup truck for collecting the waste. All of the trucks are adorned with the motto, “We Are Proud Padangtegal Is Clean”. The compost that the center produces is used as fertilizer in the Monkey Forest.
The government appreciated Padangtegal village’s efforts and commitment. The Tourism Ministry and the Environment and Forestry Ministry called on from the Public Works and Housing Ministry to establis an integrated waste management center (TPST) in Padangtegal. The Ubud TPST has been built near the Monkey Forest, and is designed as both an education center and a recreation center.
‘Tri Hita Karana’ philosophy
The Padangtegal administration’s involvement in caring for the environment, Sudiarta said, was a form of applying the Tri Hita Karana, a Balinese philosophy that maintains harmony between human beings and God (parahyangan), among human beings (pawongan) and between human beings and nature (palemahan). All Balinese customary villages adhere to this traditional philosophy.
Seminyak customary village has also made a similar commitment and measures in Kuta, Badung regency. Since 2003, Seminyak has transported its waste for processing at a TPST, a measure that has gained the appreciation of villagers, the village administration and businesspeople in Seminyak.
KOMPAS/COKORDA YUDISTIRA
PVC pipes aerate vats of organic waste on 5 July 2019 at the integrated waste management center (TPST) at Padangtegal customary village in Ubud, Gianyar, Bali. The Padangtegal TPST collects pre-sorted household waste and turns the organic waste into compost for fertilizing the the nearby Ubud Monkey Forest.
The Seminyak TPST applies the reuse, reduce and recycle (3Rs) principle. The waste comes from households and more than 590 businesses in Seminyak, including shops, restaurants, villas and hotels. Seminyak customary village is famed for its beach, which numbers among the major tourist destinations in Kuta.

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