Eid al-Fitr Homecoming via Gilimanuk Leaves Behind Tons of Rubbish, Officials Overwhelmed

The flow of Eid al-Fitr homecoming traffic through Gilimanuk Port in Jembrana, Bali, which once queued for tens of kilometres, has left behind a complex rubbish problem. Piles of rubbish are scattered in various corners along the Denpasar-Gilimanuk road, especially in residential alleys that were previously used as routes to ease the queues.

Over the past two days, sanitation workers from Gilimanuk Ward have been struggling to clean up the “legacy” left by the homecomers. Limited fleet and personnel have made the cleaning process slow. There are four alleys with the most scattered rubbish, but only two have been successfully cleaned.

“Today, cleaning is being carried out at the cargo terminal by a joint team from the ward along with the TNI and Police, focusing on sweeping up scattered plastic rubbish,” said the Head of Gilimanuk Ward, Ida Bagus Tony Wirahadikusuma, when confirmed by detikBali on Monday (23/3/2026). The total rubbish collected from the two alleys and the cargo terminal area (buffer zone) reached 4.5 tons.

Tony admitted that there are still many points that have not been touched by the cleaning actions, including the main Denpasar-Gilimanuk route. “There are still several points that have not been reached, including Alley 3, Alley 4, and Alley 1 in the Jineng Agung area,” Tony explained.

Tony revealed several technical obstacles hindering the rubbish cleanup in the field. In addition to the overwhelming amount of rubbish, many sanitation workers are still on holiday leave. The situation is exacerbated by conditions at the final disposal site (TPA), which is overloaded, as well as damage to heavy equipment.

On the other hand, PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, in handling rubbish, only focuses on cleaning internal areas, such as the manoeuvring terminal and the port complex itself.

“ASDP carries out cleaning for the manoeuvring terminal area and the port itself,” Tony explained.