Bali’s coastline is flooded with 600 tonnes of plastic waste after tourists return to the island

A tide of trash has washed ashore at a tourist hotspot as travellers turn a picturesque beach into a wasteland in footage posted by a man dressed as a superhero who tried to help clean up.  

Holidaymakers have flocked to Kuta beach, on Bali’s south coast, during December hoping to soak up the sun and party atmosphere over the festive season. 

However, video emerged on Tuesday showing the once pristine beach covered in piles of garbage including plastic bags, discarded cups and general waste. 

The video, shared on Instagram by Suzuki Hiromasa, shows scores of volunteers cleaning up the beach on December 25, while a front-end loader scoops rubbish along the shore. 

Mr Hiromasa is seen dressed in the costume of ‘Ultraman’ – a Japanese superhero – as he helps rake up ‘600 tonnes’ of litter left behind by tourists. 

Footage shows Kuta beach, on Bali’s south coast, covered in piles of garbage. Japanese national, Suzuki Hiromasa, is seen dressed in an Ultraman costume as he cleans up the trash left behind by tourists (left and right) 

The Japanese national is an environmental activist who travels to Bali twice a year to clean up rubbish.

‘Approaching the end of 2022, Kuta Beach in Badung Regency, Bali, has again been invaded by shipments of garbage,’ Mr Hiromasa wrote. 

‘The waste that litters Kuta Beach is dominated by plastic waste, ranging from plastic cups for mineral drinks and plastic packaging.’

Marine Garbage Evacuation Detection Coordinator of the Badung Regency Environmental and Sanitation Service Made Gede Dwipayana said the entire coast, which is divided into 10 coastal zones, was inundated with trash. 

Mr Dwipayana said so far, volunteers have collected 600 tonnes of garbage from October to December. 

‘A total of 600 tonnes. That’s all on the … coast of Badung Regency in the west,’ Mr Dwipayana told CCN Indonesia.  

‘Until now there have been no problems, even though the weather was extreme, we worked wearing full raincoats and there were no problems.’ 

Mr Dwipayana said Bali’s rubbish problem is predicted to peak in January due to the wet season and an influx of tourists. 

Seasonal winds and heavy rain between December and March forces rubbish to flow down rivers throughout the regency before accumulating on the coastline. 

The previously pristine beach is a hotspot for holidaymakers as they flock to the destination to soak up the sun and enjoy the party atmosphere (pictured, Kuta beach, Bali)

Over 100 volunteers and four front-end loaders (pictured) were sent to Kuta Beach to clean up the rubbish. An estimated 600 tonnes of waste washed up along Bali’s entire coastline from October to December 

Mr Dwipayana said his organisation mobilized around 400 people – 100 of those were dispatched to Kuta Beach with four tractors – across the 10 coastal zones. 

Rubbish in Bali has increasingly become a problem with Indonesia recording a whopping 68.5million tonnes of waste in 2021. 

The data, collected by the Environmental and Forestry department, found 17 per cent of rubbish in Indonesia was plastic waste, with just 9 per cent recyclable. 

Mr Hiromasa said he deliberately wears the Ultraman suit to attract public attention and hopes it motivates others to do the same and clean up the world’s oceans. 

‘Small actions sometimes have a big impact,’ Mr Hiromasa wrote. 

‘Start with yourself, then share this information with others. Hopefully we can all protect the environment by not littering, whether on roads, oceans, rivers etc.’