The Plastic Tide: How Our Food Choices Are Polluting Paradise

I didn’t expect my recent 30-hour layover in Bali to become one of the most confronting environmental experiences of my life.

Friends who live up in the far north of the island had warned us: “You won’t get the real Bali unless you head up here.” Unfortunately, with such a short stay, Craig and I simply didn’t have the time. We agreed this would be our taster trip — and next time, we’d explore beyond the main tourist stretch.

We stayed in a stunning hotel in Legian, just a five-minute walk from the beach. The drive from Ngurah Rai International Airport to the hotel gave me a glimpse of something many global destinations have experienced: commercialisation.

Rows of tourist tack. Knock-off “designer” goods. Western-style bars and fast-food outlets.

It’s not unique to Bali — you see it in the Canary Islands, the Balearics, the Greek Islands — anywhere that mass tourism has shaped the local landscape. And while I completely understand that many holidaymakers want the comforts of home in a sunnier climate, for me, when I visit a country I want the local food, crafts, culture, and experiences.

But this article isn’t really about tourism.

It’s about what greeted us when we crossed the road to Legian Beach early the next morning.

The Shock Along the Tide Line

Living in North Devon, close to Saunton, Croyde and Woolacombe, I’m no stranger to the odd bit of plastic washing up. We do beach cleans. We pick up what we see. We take responsibility.

What we saw in Bali was on an entirely different scale.

The tide line was thick with rubbish — and it kept coming. Plastic drinks bottles. Food containers. Ultra-processed food packaging. Toothpaste tubes. Single-use everything. The question wasn’t “Should we pick something up?” — it was “Where do we step?”

We walked from Legian through Double Six and towards Seminyak Beach, hoping it might improve.

It didn’t.

It was early morning and tractors were just starting up, attempting to clear what had come in overnight. Later that day we were told that 15 tractor loads had been removed — in just one day — and there was still more.

Local elders stopped to chat as we watched fishermen dragging small shore nets — nets that were collecting more plastic than fish. They explained that during monsoon season this happens regularly. It was spoken about almost as though it was the norm.

But this isn’t normal.

During wet seasons and storms, beaches should receive palm leaves, bamboo, coconuts — natural debris. Not mountains of single-use packaging.

The Bigger Picture: Food, Plastics & Ocean Health

As someone who works in nutrition, health and wellbeing, and who actively speaks out against ultra-processed foods, this experience hit me hard.

This wasn’t just a beach litter issue.

It was the visible endpoint of a global system.

Ultra-processed foods don’t just impact human health. They arrive wrapped in layers of plastic — designed for convenience, shelf life and profit. That packaging ends up somewhere. Often, it ends up in the ocean.

The chain reaction is undeniable:

• Plastic enters waterways

• It flows into the ocean

• Marine life ingests it

• Fish eat it

• Birds eat it

• We eat it

• It fragments into microplastics

• It enters ecosystems — land and sea

This isn’t just an aesthetic issue for sunbathers. It’s ecological. It’s biological. It’s systemic.

And it’s urgent.

Responsibility: Individual & Global

Yes, education matters. There is information available about single-use plastics and the health impacts of ultra-processed foods.

But awareness alone isn’t enough.

We need:

• Government-level action worldwide

• Stronger regulation of single-use plastics

• Accountability for food, drink and cosmetic industries

• Reduction — not just recycling — of packaging

• Investment in waste infrastructure

• Environmental education from childhood

And we, as individuals, must also act:

• Choose minimally processed foods

• Avoid unnecessary packaging

• Refuse single-use plastics where possible

• Don’t litter — ever

• Pick up rubbish when you see it

• Support brands making genuine change

This is not a “Bali problem.” It’s a global one. The ocean connects us all.

Please Don’t Let This Put You Off Bali

Bali is beautiful. The people we met were warm and kind. The culture is rich. The island itself is stunning.

But if you visit, seek out the real Bali. Support local producers. Eat local food. Respect the land and sea.

And come home determined to do better.

Because what I saw on that shoreline wasn’t just rubbish.

It was a physical, confronting reminder that our health, our food systems, our oceans and our planet are deeply intertwined.

If we truly want to Eat Clean, Live Well and Dream Big — we must protect the very environment that sustains us.

The time for mild concern has passed.

It’s time to act.