As a T+L editor, I’ve stayed at more hotels than I can count, but every so often, one comes along that cuts through the noise and leaves a mark. Desa Potato Head, the Bali “creative village” anchored by the Potato Head Beach Club and incorporating Potato Head Suites, is one of those places. And soon there’ll be an extra reason to love them: Their upcoming full-scale waste-management centre, Community Waste Project.
Desa Potato Head, conceived by Jakarta-born Ronald Akili, is a vibrant ecosystem where thoughtfully curated experiences sustain local livelihoods and operations strive to leave both travellers and locals better off. Every element of the beachfront property embodies a commitment to sustainable and thoughtful living, from the geometric ceilings fashioned from 1.7 tonnes of recycled PET plastic, to Pointman, a six-metre-tall sculpture by American artist Futura2000 made from 888 kilos of plastic waste.
Since 2016, Potato Head has slashed its waste-to-landfill ratio from 50 percent to a mere five percent. It’s all part of their “Good Times, Do Good” guiding principle that permeates every aspect of its operation.
At the heart of Desa’s eco-initiatives—and doing the heavy lifting—is its on-site waste management centre, a small but mighty innovation in the battle against plastic pollution. This humble back-of-house facility processes all of Desa’s waste, plus rubbish collected during daily beach clean ups, converting it into products like kaleidoscopic marble-looking coasters and chairs. During my visit, I was shown how old cooking oil can be transformed into chic candles, and Styrofoam and oyster shells into high-design soap dispensers. This unassuming facility proves even the humblest operations can make a significant impact.
Community Waste Project, which aims to get more local businesses with the programme, is the next step. Understanding that not every hotel or restaurant can replicate their model, especially in a place with limited resources like Bali, Potato Head has partnered with other hospitality groups to build the full-scale facility. It’s set to open in October 2024 next to Bali’s largest landfill in Denpasar.
The 2,000-square-metre Community Waste Project, co-founded with Mexicola Group, will process waste from participating businesses by sorting, composting, recycling and upcycling. Its success “hinges on the waste-management practices implemented at each participating site,” says Amanda Marcella, Potato Head’s director of sustainability. “Our goal is to establish effective sorting systems at these locations and then handle the waste at Community Waste Project for further processing.” In other words, the business community needs to commit. For those who do, Community Waste Project could reduce their landfill down to five percent of total waste as well.
Bali’s plastic waste crisis is a stark reality. Each monsoon season, waves of plastic debris wash up on the island’s shores, much of it coming from neighbouring Java. In just six weeks in spring 2023, 40 tonnes of trash was collected from Jimbaran Bay alone. With an estimated 52 percent of Bali’s garbage mismanaged due to inadequate waste collection and treatment, the island’s $7.8 billion tourism industry—more than half its GDP—is severely threatened. In this context, Potato Head’s commitment to a zero-waste Bali is as vital as it is ambitious—and it’s in everyone’s interest to hop on board.
“There’s no hiding the fact that whilst hospitality and tourism are the lifeblood of this island, they are also its biggest environmental downfall,” says Isabella Rowell, CEO of Mexicola Group. “It is our responsibility as a collective to drive this movement and develop this infrastructure for the future of this island and its people.”
Potato Head’s approach to sustainability is about more than just leading by example; it’s about fostering collaboration and driving lasting change. “We don’t see other hospitality groups as competitors in this effort,” Marcella says. “We want to collaborate and share our practices openly. Our hope is that more businesses will join this movement, contributing to a collective effort to solve Bali’s waste problem.” By creating a space where ideas and resources are shared, Community Waste Project aims to build a network of responsible businesses committed to the same vision: a cleaner, greener Bali.
seminyak.potatohead. co; rooms from Rp2,500,000
Written By
