Travelers to Bali will be shocked to find their beloved beach, Kedonganan buried under tons of plastic waste.
For those who have not yet visited this natural wonder, this beach is located right next to Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
To be fair, this isn’t the first time locals and visitors have seen their travel plans ruined by such a phenomenon.
However, Balinese reported on social media that this is the largest amount of marine debris they have seen in history.
But what causes this now recurring waste avalanche? The local environmental agency Anak Agung Dalem has an answer. People have been carelessly littering Indonesian lands and throwing all kinds of garbage, such as plastic bottles and others, into mountains and rivers.
Than, When the monsoon rains and winds begin between November and March, the swollen rivers sweep debris, tons of plastic and even branches into the ocean. Then it’s only a matter of time before it washes up on the once pristine beaches of Badung Regency.
According to the latest news, local authorities have been busy cleaning up the mess. Since March 18, more than 300 local employees and six excavators have been working non-stop to collect the waste.
It is very important to accelerate this process because polluted beaches impact both the tourism and fishing sectors. With their livelihoods threatened, fishermen had to move to remote areas, increasing production costs.
Bali’s efforts to reduce plastic pollution
Beaches covered in trash are a problem that is increasing over time.
To tackle this problem, Balinese authorities have developed two strategies.
First, Bali forbidden the production, use and distribution of single-use plastics in 2018. However, due to the pandemic, it didn’t really get off the ground until 2022.
Secondly, and probably most importantly, it does local education. For years, the government has had to contend with residents who carelessly pollute Bali’s lands, rivers and oceans.
To overcome this problem, Officials have implemented environmental programs targeting communities and education centers to educate locals about the negative impacts their negligent actions have.
Dedicated to stopping Bali’s relegation, two local sisters started the “Bye Bye Plastic Bags Foundation (BBPB). in 2013. As of today, the initiative has motivated the creation of more than 50 international BBPT teams. This is now considered one of the most successful efforts against plastic waste.
