Plastic is one material that is considered difficult to decompose. Normally, plastic items can take up to 1000 years to decompose in landfills.
According to data from Indonesia Aromatic and Plastic Industry Association (INAPLAS) and Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), Indonesia ranked second as the largest contributor to plastic waste in the world in 2018. 64 million tons per year of plastic waste produced by Indonesia.
Seeing from the amount of plastic waste in Indonesia, the Government of Denpasar City has banned the use of plastic bags in modern shops and shopping centers started on January 1, 2019. This prohibition of plastic bags is under Denpasar Mayor Regulation No. 36 of 2018 concerning the Reduction of the Use of Plastic Bags.
To limit the use of plastic bags, the Denpasar City Government has campaigned for reducing the use of plastic bags since 2017. An effort is being made to distribute environmentally friendly bags on car-free day.
Not only on modern shopping centers, the plan is that the Denpasar City Government will also minimize the use of plastic bags on traditional markets.
The plastic bag prohibition aims to anticipate the impact of plastic waste, especially since plastic is very difficult to decompose. This prohibition is expected to have a positive impact, especially to face plastic problem in Bali of “garbage emergency” last year swamping a six-kilometer stretch of coast along the island.