- The basis is Bali Governor's Circular No. 9 of 2025 under the Gerakan Bali Bersih Sampah movement, launched on 11 April 2025; the requirements apply to accommodation and food businesses from 1 January 2026.
- Three obligations: sorting into organic, inorganic and residual waste; an on-site collection point and a route to a TPS3R processing facility; and dropping single-use plastics — bags, straws, polystyrene packaging and drinks in disposable plastic.
- The sanction is not a fine but review and revocation of permits, plus being named publicly by the province. For a rental villa that hits the licensing layer rather than the budget.
- Bringing a villa into line is cheap and largely one-off: separated bins, a composting area, glass bottles and dispensers, and a contract with a licensed collector.
- This is not only regulation: sorting and the absence of single-use plastic land directly in guest reviews from countries where both are normal — which means occupancy and rating.
In short: from 1 January 2026 an accommodation business in Bali must sort its waste, maintain its own collection point and operate without single-use plastic. The basis is Governor's Circular No. 9 of 2025, and the sanction is written not in rupiah but in permits — they can be reviewed and revoked. For the owner of a rental villa that means rubbish has stopped being a housekeeping detail and joined the same licensing layer where KKPR, PBG and SLF live.
What was adopted, and when
On 11 April 2025 the province launched Gerakan Bali Bersih Sampah — the Bali Clean Waste Movement. Its regulatory anchor is Governor's Circular No. 9 of 2025, with the compliance date for business activity set at 1 January 2026. The list of addressees in the document is broad: village administrations, schools, tourism operators, hotels, restaurants, cafés and shopping centres. A rental villa enters that list as an accommodation business.
The public framing is blunt. Governor I Wayan Koster said that a business failing to meet its environmental obligations will be treated as unfriendly to the environment and unworthy of visits; the launch was attended by Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq.
Source: The Bali Media, on Circular No. 9 of 2025.
The three duties compliance consists of
| Duty | What it means at a villa |
|---|---|
| Separation at source | Three streams: organic (kitchen, garden), inorganic (plastic, glass, metal, paper) and residual. Bins in the kitchen, the service area and wherever cleaning happens |
| An on-site collection point and a removal route | A designated temporary storage area plus a contract with a TPS3R facility or a licensed contractor — documented, not arranged by phone with a neighbour |
| Dropping single-use plastic | Remove bags, straws, polystyrene tableware and drinks in disposable plastic from purchasing and from the guest set-up |
Formally there is a fourth duty — an internal unit responsible for waste. At a villa that is simply a named person within the management company's staff, not a separate structure.
What it actually risks
The circular does not deal in fine amounts. Its instrument is permissive: review and revocation of licences, plus public naming through the province's official channels. That is precisely why the risk for a rental villa is heavier than it first appears.
A fine is paid once. A revoked permit stops legal letting altogether — and with it the entire income model the property was bought for.
The probability deserves a sober read too. Waste inspections today concentrate on visible businesses: hotels, restaurants, malls. A private villa deep in the rice fields is unlikely to be the first address an inspector visits. But a licensing layer works differently from a one-off raid: the compliance question surfaces not during a sweep but at renewal or extension of permits, on a neighbour's complaint, or during a check about something else entirely. Putting it right in advance is cheaper than explaining it later.
How the licensing layer of legal letting is built — from KBLI and NIB through KKPR, PBG and SLF — is set out in Letting a villa in Bali legally.
Doing it at a villa: the practical part
The good news is that compliance here is inexpensive and almost entirely a one-off cost.
- Sorting. Three labelled bins in the service area and a small set in the kitchen. Label in two languages plus pictograms: a guest is not obliged to read Indonesian.
- Organics. A composting area in a far corner of the plot absorbs most kitchen and garden waste and cuts removal volume. How it fits into the landscaping and its upkeep is covered in Landscaping a villa in Bali.
- Removal. A contract with a TPS3R facility or a licensed contractor, on a fixed schedule. Ask for the paperwork — it doubles as your evidence of compliance.
- Plastic. Reusable glass bottles plus a filter or drinking-water dispenser instead of bottled plastic; refillable toiletry dispensers instead of single-use bottles; paper or metal straws, or none at all.
- Purchasing. Half the problem is solved not at the villa but at the supplier: changing lines on the purchase list removes plastic before it ever arrives.
Why this works on returns, not just on paperwork
For a guest from Australia, Germany or the Netherlands, separated waste is an everyday norm rather than an achievement by the host. Its absence, though, is noticed: single-use bottles in the fridge and one bin under the sink turn up regularly in reviews as a marker of cheap service. Australia, meanwhile, remains the number-one source of demand — 1,171,531 arrivals through Ngurah Rai airport border control in January–August 2026.
Geographic data: Bali Discovery, 11 Sep 2026, per Ngurah Rai airport immigration.
The province, for its part, offers compliant businesses a "green" designation — green hotel, green restaurant. For a private villa the formal status does little, but the logic is useful: what the regulator requires here coincides with what raises a guest's rating. How ratings are built and what moves them most is covered in An Airbnb rating of 4.9.
Who is responsible, and what to write into the contract
The requirements are carried out by staff: housekeepers, the gardener, the property manager. But the permits sit with the owner or their PT PMA, and that is where consequences land. So put the duty explicitly into the management agreement, with three elements: what is done, who owns it, how it is evidenced. The evidence is the removal contract, the schedule and photographs of the collection point.
Running costs rise only marginally: an extra collection and consumables. Within the overall running budget they disappear next to utilities, staff and pool servicing — that budget's structure is collected in The cost of running a villa on Bali. What else belongs in a management agreement is covered in Management companies in Bali.
Bottom line: since 1 January 2026 sorting waste and dropping single-use plastic are not an environmental gesture but a condition of operating an accommodation business in Bali. The sanction hits the permits rather than the wallet, so the stake is not the price of the bins but the risk to the whole rental model. Bringing a villa into line means a few one-off purchases, one removal contract and one paragraph in the management agreement. A rare case where the regulator's requirement and the guest's expectation point the same way.
This material is informational only and is not legal advice. Requirements and enforcement practice vary by regency; check the current text of the documents and confirm with the local administration.
FAQ
From what date are Bali's waste rules mandatory for villas?
The Gerakan Bali Bersih Sampah movement was launched on 11 April 2025 under Governor's Circular No. 9 of 2025, with the compliance date for organisations, the tourism sector included, set at 1 January 2026.
Who do the requirements cover?
Every sector named in the circular: village administrations, schools, tourism operators, hotels, restaurants, cafés and shopping centres. A rental villa, as an accommodation business, falls inside that list.
What exactly has to be done at a villa?
Set up separate collection for organic, inorganic and residual waste; designate a temporary storage point; arrange removal through a TPS3R facility or a licensed contractor; and remove single-use bags, straws, polystyrene tableware and drinks in disposable plastic from daily use.
What are the sanctions for non-compliance?
The circular provides for review and possible revocation of permits, along with public naming through the province's official channels. Governor I Wayan Koster stated plainly that a business ignoring its environmental obligations will be treated as unfriendly to the environment.
Is there any upside beyond compliance?
Yes. The province offers compliant businesses a "green" designation, and on the guest side sorting and the absence of single-use plastic are an obvious plus for Australian and European audiences — the kind that shows up in reviews.
Who is responsible, the owner or the management company?
In practice the management company or the staff carry it out, but the permits sit with the owner or their PT PMA, and the consequences land there. So write the obligation into the management agreement, together with how compliance is evidenced.