The Trash Hero community in Bali, consisting of local and foreign residents, has successfully collected 159 kilograms of garbage in just one hour from several beaches, including Batu Bolong, Canggu, Kuta Utara, and Badung.
The group of volunteers was seen carrying white bags and wandering around the beach to collect trash. The majority of the waste collected were plastic cups, straws, and plastic bags, suspected to have been carried by sea currents from neighboring islands such as Java, Lombok, and even Australia.
The group’s success in collecting garbage was acknowledged by Rima Agustina, an activist who stated, “Only cleaning for one hour. But, in reality, the weight of the trash fluctuates, depending on the beach conditions and how many volunteers are present.”
Rima added that the amount of garbage collected was minimal compared to the 800 kilograms of waste collected by Trash Hero’s partner community at Nyanyi Beach in Tabanan.
The Trash Hero volunteers are doing more than just collecting garbage, however; they are also sorting the trash they collect, with Eco Bali, a waste collection company, taking care of the recyclable and non-recyclable waste. The recyclable waste is sent to East Java to be processed into reusable items, while the non-recyclable waste is destroyed.
While plastic cups, straws, and plastic bags were the most common items found on the beach, Trash Hero volunteers have also encountered more dangerous garbage such as discarded sofas, car tires, syringes, and even animal carcasses. Sebastian, a German activist from Trash Hero, was surprised to find a car tire on the beach, adding, “I wonder where it came from and who threw it away.”
Trash Hero’s mission to clean up beaches is not just about removing garbage from the area, but also about educating people about the impact of waste on the environment.
The group’s goal is to reduce the amount of waste produced and ultimately eliminate it altogether. The success of Trash Hero’s initiatives has inspired other communities in Bali and beyond to take similar actions in cleaning up their own local areas.
In conclusion, the Trash Hero community in Bali serves as an inspiration to all of us to take care of our environment and play an active role in preserving it. Their efforts demonstrate the power of collective action and the importance of education in achieving a cleaner and healthier planet.
