Rotary Club Bali Nusa Dua has Partnered up with
ROLE Foundation in association with
the Sawangan Banjar …….
“ The Sawangan, Solid Waste Management Pilot Project ”
Saturday, 3rd December 2011
The Sawangan Solid Waste Management Pilot Project is a partnership between R.O.L.E. Foundation,
Rotary Club Bali Nusa Dua, and the Sawangan Banjar,
whose main aim is to keep Sawangan
Village clean of plastics and other solid
waste on a daily basis.
Plastics into the community, plastics out
of the community. A Sustainable future
for Sawangan, it’s residents and future generations.
The Truck was blessed at 1pm, last Saturday on the Tumpek Landep
(machinery blessing) ceremonial day. Also the project’s staff and equipment were blessed. In a two hour ceremony the local Mangku (Holy Man), accompanied by his assistants, bestowed protection on the equipment and prayed for the sucess of the project in front of
members of the Banjar and village residents .
After the ceremony, the newly renovated collection truck, new bins, and uniform of the collection staff were put to use
in the honorable work of making Sawangan a rubbish free village. Five large 660L bins, adorned with the project partner logos, were placed in strategic locations within the village and a test run of the truck and audio system was performed. The truck, funded by Rotary Club Bali, Nusa Dua, will play music to alert residents of its passing and the opportunity to easily and safely dispose of their household waste.
The collection service will run three times weekly, with one driver and two 
collection staff to keep the village rubbish free. All rubbish will be sorted by
ROLE, collected by Eco Bali for recycling and all organic matter will be
composted for use in the ROLE Eco Learning Park as potting soil for
permaculture and reforestation projects. ROLE will manage the project for
one year and then hand over management to the local Banjar.
The event was also accompanied by an educative talk by the passionate
Balinese conservationist, Pak Ketut Merta adi of Eco Bali. Sawangan residents
listened to Pak Ketut’s educational instruction about the dangers posed
by improper waste disposal – ranging from disease and illnesses, to the
loss of business and quality of life. Many people were surprised to learn the
connection that exists between rubbish piles containing small pools of
water and mosquito borne diseases, such as Dengue Fever; and the link
between burning rubbish and respiratory diseases, such as asthma,
cancer and even impotence. Commenting on the project, Pak Ketut stated
“This is an important matter, and one that people ignore until it is too late.
The health of a family member is not worth the risks posed by tossing 
our rubbish on the side of the road. Burning plastic is especially harmful to
children.” The village is surrounded by several luxury hotels, and the
disparity between the lush, clean gardens in front of the resorts and the
rubbish lined streets and smoldering illegal dumps of the area is shocking.
During the event, the Banjar encouraged local residents to participate as best they can, by not throwing their rubbish on the ground or into rivers and ravines. Pak Made Liman of the Banjar described the situation “We have not had a system, and now we will be able to keep Sawangan clean, our thanks to the Rotary Club Bali Nusa Dua and ROLE Foundation.”
The Banjar will be enforcing new rules for Sawangan, ensuring that every warung and shop provide a rubbish bin and a clean store front for their customers. The Banjar have been active in determining sites for public bins and establishing rules for shops, restaurants and residents regarding rubbish collection as well as helping with the distribution of educational materials. R.O.L.E founder, Mike O’Leary has high expectations for the project: “We hope that this
Waste Management Pilot Project, in partnership between Rotary Club Bali Nusa Dua (Funding) and R.O.L.E Foundation (Staffing, Education and Management) and the Swangan Banjar and Village (Policing and Local Guidance) will become an example to the whole of Nusa Dua and Tanjung Benoa area. Big thanks to Ketut and Paola at Eco Bali.
With an estimation of over 5500 tones of Solid Waste being dumped in the country sides of Bali every day, a sustainable living for all Balinese could be in jeopardy if these kind of projects do not succeed and do not find the necessary govermental support at all levels.
Really want to thank the dedicated team of Rotary Club Bali Nusa Dua for having the foresight, patience and confidence in putting this project together and for having worked so hard to make this launching a success.
We will not let them down. Also, thanks to Made and Wayan at the Banjar of Sawangan village for understanding the need and embracing this project. We want this to be the start of a Sawangan Garden Village, a proud place to live and bring up children.”
