We Collected 300,000 Pounds of Plastic in 8 months!

Summary

For eight months, a dedicated team in Bali has been tirelessly working to clean up the island's polluted waterways. Through community cleanups and innovative barrier systems, they've managed to collect two tons of trash daily, separating organic and plastic waste for proper disposal. The initiative also involves data collection for brand auditing to hold corporations accountable for plastic pollution. With government collaboration and a mission to protect every river on Bali's west coast, the project aims to inspire local action and demonstrate effective waste management solutions.

Takeaways

• 🗑️ Bali's waterways are heavily polluted with trash, particularly plastic, which has never been cleaned up on a large scale before the described efforts.
• 🌊 The initiative started with community cleanups every Friday, attracting a large number of participants, indicating strong community involvement.
• 🛠️ Over the past year, the team tested various types of barriers to trap trash in the rivers, with a current count of nearly 50 barriers around the island.
• 🎯 The goal for the year is to increase the number of barriers to 100, aiming to better manage the trash in Bali's rivers.
• 🚮 The daily patrol teams collect trash from the barriers, which is then sorted at a facility, highlighting the ongoing nature of the cleanup efforts.
• 🔍 A significant focus is on data collection, including brand auditing of the collected trash, to identify and engage with companies responsible for plastic packaging.
• 🛒 The use of scanners to identify specific products helps in understanding the scale of plastic pollution and the brands contributing to it.
• 🏆 Collaboration with the government has been a milestone, with a 40-day mission to clean 10 rivers in South Bali, resulting in the collection of 57 tons of trash.
• 📹 The power of social media is demonstrated by the response to a video showing a heavily polluted canal, which led to immediate action by the team.
• 📍 The launch of the 'Tsunaija Line' allows anyone in Indonesia to report polluted rivers, showing an expansion in the initiative's reach and impact.
• 🌐 The initiative aims to protect rivers on the west coast of Bali and potentially expand to East Java, indicating a broader vision for combating plastic pollution.
• 💰 Sponsorship opportunities for barriers are available, allowing individuals or organizations to contribute financially to the cause.

Q & A

What has been the main focus of the group's efforts for the past eight months in Bali?

The group has been focused on cleaning up Bali's waterways, which have been severely affected by trash, particularly plastic pollution.

What was the initial starting point for the cleanup initiative?

The initiative started with the founder sorting trash in his parents' garage, which they were not fond of.

How often do the community cleanups take place and what is the typical turnout?

Community cleanups happen every single Friday, with turnouts ranging from 20 to 60 people, and sometimes up to 250 people per cleanup.

What is the goal for the number of barriers around Bali this year?

The goal for this year is to have 100 barriers around the island of Bali to help in the cleanup efforts.

What is the daily routine of the patrol teams regarding the barriers?

The patrol teams go out on the river every day from 7 a.m., visit each of the barriers, take photos before and after the cleanup, and separate the waste into organic and plastic categories.

What does the group do with the trash collected from the barriers?

The trash is sent to their facility where it is sorted by types of plastics and goes through an initial pre-sorting phase.

Why is data collection important in the context of this cleanup initiative?

Data collection is crucial for understanding the scale of the plastic pollution problem and for holding corporations accountable through brand auditing.

How does the group identify the brands responsible for the plastic waste they collect?

They use a scanner to perform brand auditing on the collected waste, which helps identify the companies responsible for the plastic packaging and products.

What was the outcome of the 40-day mission to clean 10 rivers in the region of Badung?

The 40-day mission resulted in the cleanup of 57 tons of trash with the help of 250 people, organized in teams of 25 throughout the region.

What is the significance of the 'Tsunaija Line' initiative mentioned in the script?

The 'Tsunaija Line' is an initiative that allows people from anywhere in Indonesia to send photos or videos of polluted rivers with a location pin, prompting the group to respond and potentially clean up the area.

How can individuals or organizations get involved in sponsoring a barrier?

Individuals or organizations can sponsor a barrier for about 3 million rupiah (around 215 US dollars), which covers the construction, maintenance, cleanup, and sorting costs for a year.

Outlines

00:00

🌊 Bali's Waterway Cleanup Initiative

For the past eight months, a dedicated team has been working tirelessly to clean up Bali's waterways, which are plagued with plastic pollution. Beginning in a garage, the initiative has grown to involve community cleanups with participation ranging from 20 to 250 people. The team has tested various barriers to collect trash and currently has around 50 in place, aiming for 100 by the year's end. Daily patrols collect and sort an average of two tons of waste, separating organic and plastic materials. A significant part of their mission involves data collection on plastic pollution, including brand auditing to hold corporations accountable for their packaging waste. They have also partnered with the government to clean specific rivers and are now launching a platform for people across Indonesia to report polluted rivers.

05:00

🚜 Emergency Cleanups and Community Engagement

The script details an emergency cleanup of a 200-meter long canal clogged with debris, which was organized after a video was received, highlighting the urgency of the situation. The cleanup was executed with heavy machinery and a committed team, demonstrating the potential for significant impact on polluted areas. The initiative has expanded to include a new service where people can report polluted rivers via photos or videos, spurring immediate action. The script also addresses the broader issue of plastic pollution, with a goal to protect rivers on Bali's west coast and in East Java, emphasizing the need for better waste management and education. The initiative invites sponsorship for individual barriers, which cover construction and annual maintenance costs, and encourages involvement from companies, schools, and individuals to support the ongoing mission to protect Bali's waterways.

Keywords

💡Waterways

Waterways refer to navigable bodies of water such as rivers, canals, and channels. In the context of the video, waterways in Bali are the focus of a cleanup initiative due to severe pollution. The script mentions that 'most rivers on Bali are completely trashed' and the mission is to 'protect Bali's waterways,' highlighting the importance of these water bodies to the local environment and community.

💡Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution is the accumulation of plastic objects in the environment, causing harm to wildlife and ecosystems. The video script emphasizes the pervasive issue of plastic pollution, noting 'a trace of plastic pollution' along riverbanks and the collection of plastic waste through barriers and community cleanups, which is central to the video's theme of environmental conservation.

💡Community Cleanups

Community cleanups are organized events where members of a community come together to clean up a particular area, often to address environmental issues. The script describes these cleanups as happening 'every single Friday' with participation ranging from '20 to 60 people to 250 people per cleanup,' illustrating the collective effort to combat pollution in Bali's waterways.

💡Barriers

In the context of the video, barriers refer to physical structures deployed in waterways to collect waste and prevent it from flowing further downstream. The script mentions testing 'eight different types of barriers' and having 'almost 50 barriers around the island,' with a goal to increase this number, showing the strategic approach to managing waste in Bali's rivers.

💡Brand Auditing

Brand auditing is the process of identifying and tracking specific brands' waste contributions to pollution. The video script explains that 'doing brand auditing allows us to have a conversation with the bigger companies... somehow responsible for this plastic,' indicating a strategy to hold corporations accountable for their packaging waste.

💡Data Collection

Data collection is the systematic gathering and analysis of information. In the video, data collection is crucial for understanding the scale of plastic pollution. The script states there is a 'gap in data' and that they are 'collecting this data from the represent body by placing our barriers,' which helps in quantifying the problem and informing solutions.

💡Sponsorship

Sponsorship in this context refers to financial support for specific elements of the cleanup initiative, such as individual barriers. The script mentions that one can 'sponsor one element for about 3 million rupiah,' which covers construction and maintenance costs, illustrating a way for individuals or organizations to contribute to the cause.

💡Waste Management

Waste management encompasses the practices and policies for collection, transportation, and disposal or recycling of waste materials. The video script calls for 'better waste management' as a solution to plastic pollution, emphasizing the need for systematic change to prevent waste from entering waterways.

💡Education

Education in the script refers to the need for increased awareness and knowledge about the environmental impact of plastic use and proper waste disposal. It is mentioned as a necessary component for 'real solutions' to the problem of plastic pollution, suggesting that behavioral change is as important as physical interventions.

💡Local Involvement

Local involvement implies the engagement of local communities in initiatives that affect their environment. The video script stresses the importance of the mission starting 'with all of us' and being 'adopted by the local villages of Bali,' highlighting the significance of grassroots support for sustainable environmental practices.

💡Tsunamija Line

Tsunamija Line is a system mentioned in the script where people can send photos or videos of polluted rivers with a location pin for the team to respond. This initiative is part of the broader effort to involve the public in identifying and addressing pollution issues, demonstrating a crowdsourced approach to environmental conservation.

Highlights

Eight months of intensive cleanup efforts in Bali's waterways aimed at addressing severe trash and plastic pollution.

Community cleanups on Fridays have attracted large participation, ranging from 20 to 250 people per event, demonstrating community engagement.

Testing of eight different types of barriers, including floating devices and nets, to manage river pollution.

Goal of installing 100 barriers around Bali to combat plastic pollution in waterways.

Daily patrol teams collect and document trash, separating it into organic and plastic waste for further processing.

Two tons of trash are sorted daily at a facility, emphasizing the scale of the cleanup operation.

Data collection on plastic pollution is crucial for understanding the problem's magnitude and for advocacy.

Brand auditing is conducted to hold corporations accountable for plastic use in their packaging and products.

Use of technology, such as scanners, to identify specific products contributing to plastic waste.

Collaboration with the government in a 40-day mission to clean 10 rivers in South Bali, resulting in the collection of 57 tons of trash.

Quick response to a video submission, mobilizing a team to clean a 200-meter long canal in just four days.

Launch of the 'Tsunaija Line' initiative, allowing anyone in Indonesia to report polluted rivers for cleanup.

Recognition of Bali's transformation from 'Island of Gods' to 'Island of Trash' due to pollution.

Aim to protect rivers on the west coast of Bali and address pollution in neighboring regions like East Java.

Barriers sponsored by individuals or organizations, covering construction and annual maintenance costs.

Call to action for involvement from companies, schools, and individuals to support the cleanup and awareness efforts.

Emphasis on the importance of grassroots efforts and local community adoption for sustainable waterway protection.

Transcripts

for the last eight months we've been

very busy cleaning up our waterways here

in bali

so we've been busy and hard at work

right now most rivers on bali

are completely trashed you know they

haven't never been cleaned

everywhere along their riverbanks you

see a trace of plastic pollution

what we started here even eight months

ago i would have never thought would

have been possible

eight months ago i was still sorting in

my parents garage and

my parents definitely didn't like that

so how soon i watch really started

you know was by community cleanups every

single friday we'd get anywhere between

20 to 60 people

to 250 people per cleanup which has been

super overwhelming and inspiring to see

community getting involved with this

mission of protecting bali's waterways

but for us cleaning rivers is an

everyday mission

over the last year we've been testing

eight different types of barriers

from floating devices to small cages

nets and booms right now we almost have

50 barriers around the island our goal

this year is to get

100 barriers here on bali

[Music]

right now we are in our location in

brabant

with our patrols this is just from one

night's reign

of trash

birthday present tempers

diapers it's very gross

every day yeah yeah

it's the update yeah

every single day our patrol teams get

out on the river from 7 a.m

and go to each of our barriers

right then and then they will take a

photo before take a

photo after and then separate between

organic

and plastic waste all of that gets sent

to our facility

and right now we're bringing two tons of

trash

every day where we sort it by types of

plastics it goes through an initial

pre-sorting phase

at tsungi watch we really felt that

there was a gap

in data when you look at plastic

pollution

just the scale of it it's so hard to

really understand

how big of a problem it is and in

indonesia one of the things that we're

lacking tremendously behind

is data at sung i watch we're collecting

this data

from the represent body by placing our

barriers we're able to

calculate each day per river the total

amount of types of plastics

but another key metric is the brands and

doing brand auditing allows us to have a

conversation

with the bigger companies the corporates

that are

somehow responsible for this plastics

using it in their packaging

and in their products this is just like

you know a normal mini-mart scanner or

just a sharp scanner

and we have all of our sachets and so

this shows off and it basically tells

you uh what product it is directly just

from a scan

uh sorry about to go a lot quicker on

our mission

to track what these are um you know this

just told me that it's a tango

we even see the the price that it comes

out to so you know this little piece of

sachet

uh is actually worth 3500 rupiah

and used once and thrown away but some

of our milestones

in the last eight months have been to

work with the government

in december we made a 40-day mission to

clean

10 rivers in the region of badung in

south bali we employed 250 people

25 people per team throughout that

cleanup we picked up

57 tons of trash

with one of our recent clean up you know

submitted by somebody

via a video

[Music]

like and subscribe

i think it was a thursday somebody sent

the video

and on that very monday we organized you

know 60 people from our team as well as

two excavators

to clean the entire canal of dreamland a

200 meter long

canal three thousand cubic meters

entirely clogged with tree branches and

plastics

which we managed to clean in the span of

four days

so this screenop started with a video

and the truth is that if we had never

received this video we would have never

known

the emergency of the state of this very

river in four days

we've been able to keep the stretch of

river with heavy machinery

and a super super dedicated group and

this just shows us

that we can still have massive impacts

on areas that are polluted so

today we're launching our tsunaija line

which means that everybody anywhere

around indonesia can send us a photo

or a video of a created river with a pin

and we'll

try to respond as soon as possible

recent years the island of gods has

really truly become

the island of trash on january 1st you

know the first day of the rainy season

here on bali where the beaches were

completely trashed

we saw some direct winds blowing east

there's been studies done by udayana

university here on bali but also some

international institutes

that show that trash on kuta beach could

be coming from

other parts of indonesia namely east

java

our goal this year is going to be to

protect every single river on the west

coast of the bali

you know to really address north west

bodies so the regions of tabanan

of gembrana but also in east java so

looking at banyorangi

and moonshore hopefully you know these

barriers can be

a showcase a symbol to show that

plastic pollution should never end up in

our ocean

and that we need to work on land with

real solutions like better waste

management

you know way more education this is not

going to happen overnight

although the mission is really just

beginning i think that there's still

so much work to be done to truly protect

these waterways

and it should start you know with all of

us and it needs to start on a local

level it needs to be grass roots

it needs to be adopted by the local

villages of bali so right now we're

actually here in our barrier in tung

mabayu

you know this is a barrier that's been

individually sponsored

so you can actually sponsor one element

for about 3 million rupiah which equates

around 215 us dollars

and that covers the cost of construction

for one of the barriers but costs of

maintenance

and cleanup for an entire year as well

as sorting

at our base and so with that you know

we're hoping

um for anybody to get involved you know

whether you're a company

um whether you're a school you can do a

fundraiser

so we're super excited to to be updating

you um with this project and to have you

follow

along so please stay tuned with us

at tsungi watch as we continue to

protect these very beautiful

waterways