Bali is home to stunning beaches, lush jungles, and incredible food. However, it is also home to a significant amount of pollution. With the countless tourists that flock there also comes the piles of garbage. The country has suffered from this never-ending pile of trash for a long time, but now it appears that they have a solution. Bali recently deployed a beach-cleaning robot to help tackle the pollution problem.
Bali Deploys Beach-Cleaning Robot To Tackle Pollution
@bali_buddies Welcome to Sanur Bebot ?? Let’s all help to keep Bali’s beaches clean! ? #bali #balibeach #beachcleaner #balitiktok
While tourists are accustomed to seeing the crystal blue waters and white beaches, they are also not strangers to seeing waste wash up along the shoreline. In fact, many tourists report seeing plastic, garbage, or waste being carried onto land by the ocean waves. Most of the garbage comes from shipping vessels and is carried in by the wind and tides. However, some of the trash is also a result of those living and visiting the country. With the never-ending trash, the open landfills are quickly becoming too full. Now, the pressure is rising for local waste management to come up with a solution.
While various solutions have been implemented, only some have been able to scratch the surface of this issue. Luckily, behind the scenes, something has been in the works. The NY Post shares that "over the past two years, beach cleaning robots have been tested in some of the island's top resorts by major hotel brands." Officials hope that these beach-cleaning robots will be the solution the country needs. The beach-cleaning robot was officially launched at the FINNS Beach Club in Canggu. The event was so significant that Alit Sucipta, the Deputy Regent of Badung, decided to attend.
How It's Working So Far
A video on TikTok shows how the $65,000 USD beach-cleaning robot works. As it drives across the sand, it picks up garbage and microplastics, leaving a clean stretch of sand behind. In the video, you can see it gathering and spitting out various debris from the sand. Onookers were very pleased with the display. However, Deputy Regent Sucipta told reporters that while the robot has great potential, it is not yet able to "maximize its performance." He hopes that in the future the robot will become even larger, with a larger capacity to remove other types of waste.
Additionally, he hopes that businesses will hop on board and invest in similar technologies to help keep the beaches and the country pollution-free. The beach-cleaning robot has been able to "reduce the waste disposed of in landfills from 80 percent to 20 percent," according to Director of PT Pantai Semara Nusantara (FINNS Beach Club), Wayan Asrama. However, their work is not done yet. They have big dreams to continue to lessen the amount of pollution and garbage in Bail.
