Manggarai Barat Moves to Limit Plastic Bottles With Refill Policy

Labuan Bajo — Manggarai Barat district has begun restricting single-use plastic packaging, including bottled drinking water, under a new regent regulation and a wider campaign targeting hotels, tourist vessels, restaurants and government offices in Labuan Bajo, according to the regent and supporting government documents.

Regent Edistasius Endi has repeatedly said he wants to end the use of plastic bottles and cups for drinking water in Labuan Bajo’s tourism and government sectors, allowing only refillable containers such as tumblers supplied from larger dispensers or gallon bottles, according to coverage of his remarks at a clean-tourism event in April 2025. The policy is framed as part of a push for sustainable tourism and a response to what the regent has described as an emergency of plastic waste in Labuan Bajo.

A formal legal basis was introduced with Regent Regulation (Peraturan Bupati) Manggarai Barat No. 16 of 2025 on the limitation of plastic products and single-use packaging, which was signed on 27 May 2025, according to the national regulation database and regional media reports. The regulation sets out limits on certain plastic products and single-use packaging across public offices, businesses and tourism facilities.

Focus on government offices and tourism businesses

Implementation of the new rules began in district government offices. Local media report that the initial application of Perbup 16/2025 has been limited to Manggarai Barat government offices, with plans to extend to businesses and tourist sites. District authorities are drafting an action plan and establishing a team for guidance and oversight.

The regent has publicly urged management of hotels, restaurants, cafes and other businesses in Labuan Bajo to stop using single-use plastic bottles and other disposable plastic packaging, and to move toward refill systems and reusable containers. In one public appearance in November 2025, he called on a newly opened hotel to eliminate plastic-bottled mineral water and apply the regent regulation’s requirements, stressing the goal of “zero” plastic-packaged water at the property.

For tourism operators, Endi has specifically targeted tourist boats and other vessels. He has asked the Labuan Bajo harbormaster’s office and port authority to ensure that boats do not provide drinking water in plastic bottles or cups, and said boats found carrying such packaged water should not be allowed to depart, in order to protect the marine environment and support sustainable tourism.

A national environmental report also describes his policy as a ban on plastic-bottled and cup-packaged drinking water applying from tourist vessels to hotels, restaurants, shops and government offices.

Scope of the plastic restrictions

Perbup 16/2025 on the limitation of plastic products and single-use packaging applies to multiple locations including shopping centres, modern retail outlets, markets, tourist areas, restaurants, cafes, school and office buildings, hotels, lodgings and other public facilities, according to regional media citing the regulation. The stated aims include reducing plastic waste, protecting the right to a healthy environment and encouraging the use of reusable or more environmentally friendly materials.

Alongside the regent regulation, the district administration has also declared Labuan Bajo a priority area for limiting single-use plastics. In June 2025, the regent joined a local declaration on single-use plastic limits in Labuan Bajo, committing authorities and stakeholders to avoid plastic shopping bags, plastic straws, styrofoam and other single-use plastic food and drink containers in the town. The regent said a district bylaw (peraturan daerah) was being prepared to reinforce and extend these limits.

Waste context in Labuan Bajo

Authorities have linked the refill and restriction measures to wider waste-management concerns. The regent has previously described Labuan Bajo and Manggarai Barat as facing growing volumes of waste at local disposal sites and has promoted alternative packaging made from bamboo to replace plastic beverage containers, in an effort to cut the amount of plastic entering the waste stream. The combination of refill systems, reusable containers and material substitution is presented as part of a broader strategy to curb plastic pollution from tourism and everyday consumption.

As of late 2025, local reporting indicates that the regent regulation is in force and that implementation is underway in government offices, with a stated intention to extend practical restrictions on single-use plastic drinking-water packaging to hotels, restaurants, tourist vessels and other businesses in Labuan Bajo.

Sources

• Regulation Database of Badan Pemeriksa Keuangan (BPK RI) – Perbup Kab. Manggarai Barat No. 16 Tahun 2025
• Detikcom – Pemkab Manggarai Barat Mulai Batasi Plastik dan Kemasan Sekali Pakai
• Merdeka – Kemenpar Luncurkan Gerakan Wisata Bersih di Labuan Bajo: Wujudkan Destinasi Pariwisata Berkelas Dunia
• Mevin.ID – KLH Dukung Larangan Botol Plastik Kecil di Bali dan Labuan Bajo: Mikroplastik Sudah Masuk ke Tubuh Kita
• TribunFlores – Rata-rata 16 Ton Dibuang ke TPA Warloka Manggarai Barat Setiap Hari