Environmentalists are calling for urgent action after a “catastrophic” wave of plastic and other rubbish washed up on beaches in Bali.
A massive 66,000kg of trash was collected by volunteers between Christmas Eve and the end of last week, organisation Sungai Watch, said.
Almost 3000 volunteers joined to collect trash at Kedonganan Beach, Jimbaran which is close to the tourist spot of Kuta,
Two sea turtles were found trapped beneath layers of plastic, showing the impact it’s having on wildlife.
Names of brands from Javanese cities were found on single use plastic, suggesting that the trash may have come from Indonesian capital, Java, the organisation said.
Straws, cosmetics packaging, plastic bags and fishing nets were also puled from the huge pies of rubbish.
“This isn’t just a local problem; it’s a crisis impacting all of Indonesia,” Gary Bencheghib, Co-Founder of Sungai Watch said.
“The scale of this pollution is staggering, and it requires urgent action from individuals, businesses, and the government to address the root causes of plastic waste.”
The organisation is storing the rubbish so it doesn’t got to landfill or land back in the water.
It plans to upcycle or recycle what it can.
“This is just one of thousands of beaches in Indonesia in similar conditions,” Sam Bencheghib added, Sungai Watch second Co-Founder.” said.
“Every year, the trash wave gets bigger; our governments need to wake up and improve waste management infrastructure now.,” Kelly Bencheghib, Sungai Watch Co-Founder, said.
It says Indonesia has insufficient waste management systems and also blames the “overwhelming use” of single-use plastics across Indonesia.
