Since Abyss Ocean World has officially open in 2016, we have participated and organized quite a few beach clean up. At a small scales, we were living in the moment and feeling like we were helping the conservation of all marine life and therefore, the planet.
What do you need to organise a beach clean up? Basically, nothing. Maybe start with a bag or a bucket to fill it up with trash found on the edge of the water or even on the side of a road or field. Daniel and I, have surprised ourself last year for my birthday, to clean a beach in Negara. We decided that we were going to only pick up plastic straws. We started with our 4 hands and the found water bottles which we filled up with those straws and ended up with over 200 straws in a matter of a 45 minutes romantic walk on the beach.
Plastic straws picked up in Negara Beach
Where are all the plastic trash will be going?
We are greatful to have a friend who works on the aftermath and waste management in North West of Bali. She is working in partnership of @Biosphre Foundation. Rosa is slowly working on solution and education in the area. We are here to support their initiative. For more information, check out their website.
How to reduce our use of single use plastic?
That being said, as individual we need to stop using all these different form of waste. Here are some habits we have taken over the past few years :
- Always order drinks and specify that we do not want to have straws (in all their forms – plastic, paper, corn starch, bamboo)
- When ordering, always requesting to be served in a glass or a coffee cup, rather than the disposable one … And yes, every Starbucks do have big glass for our Iced coffee.
- Bringing my Tupperware boxes when I go to restaurant in case I would like to have some left over to bring back home.
- Using bar soap rather than the liquid soap.
- Asking restaurants to have water from the gallon rather than from plastic bottle.
- Asking our laundry service to wrap our clothes in a sarong rather than in a plastic pellicule.
As you can see, these items, require a constant awareness, yet they have become habits and attitude for us.
Start with one thing. What is your thing to save our planet from unnecessary and single use trash?
Young kid playing with trash in Kapala Village in Alor
