Bali Faces Record Plastic Pollution as Volunteers Launch Massive Cleanup Effort

CGC News Reporter January 5, 2025

Hundreds of volunteers gathered on Bali’s Kedonganan beach Saturday to combat an unprecedented wave of plastic pollution, brought on by monsoon rains and seasonal winds. The event, organized by the environmental NGO Sungai Watch, saw local residents, hospitality workers, and tourists come together to remove plastic debris from the island’s shores.

The cleanup followed what activists described as the worst plastic waste influx to hit Bali’s beaches, with plastic cups, straws, cutlery, and coffee sachets among the debris scattered across the sand. In just six days, volunteers managed to collect a record 25 tons of waste.

Gary Bencheghib, founder of Sungai Watch, explained that the plastic waste primarily originated from cities on neighboring Java Island, carried into the ocean by rivers before washing up on Bali’s beaches. “We have never seen plastics a meter thick in the sand,” Bencheghib said, calling it a wake-up call for the urgent need to tackle plastic pollution in the region.

The surge in plastic waste is a stark reminder of Indonesia’s status as one of the world’s largest contributors to marine pollution. Volunteers, like Russian tourist Tatiana Komelova, were shocked by the scale of the issue, with many vowing to reduce their plastic usage in daily life after witnessing the damage firsthand.