Hundreds of volunteers joined a clean-up in Bali, Indonesia, on Saturday as monsoon rains brought the “worst” waves of plastic waste to hit beaches favored by tourists.
The Southeast Asian country is one of the world's biggest contributors to plastic pollution and marine debris, with annual monsoon rains and winds sweeping mountains of plastic waste from its cities and the rivers into the ocean.
Some of it moves hundreds of kilometers before washing up on the beaches on the holiday island – especially between November and March.
Across Kedonganan beach in the south of the island, plastic cups, straws, knives, and empty coffee bags were scattered across the sand, mixed with plant and wood debris.
– Tons of garbage –
Around 600 volunteers, including local residents, hospitality workers, and tourists, set out on a rainy morning to pick up the rubbish by hand before filling hundreds of large bags.
NGO Sungai Environmental Watch called it “the worst plastic waste pollution” to be washed ashore in Bali.
“We have never seen metre-thick plastics in the sand. In just six days of cleaning, we collected 25 tonnes, which is a record for us,” said Gary Bencheghib, founder of Sungai Watch.
Bencheghib said a study found that most of the plastic waste came from nearby cities in Java, Indonesia's largest inhabited island.
Tatiana Komelova, a Russian tourism volunteer, said that the sight of the pollution shocked her, and inspired her to reduce the use of plastic in her daily life.
“I knew there was a problem, but I didn't know it was that bad,” she said.
“I use plastic products a lot in my life, and now I try to reduce it as much as possible. “
str-agn/ebe/fox
