Mangrove clean-up in Bali: 125 kg of waste collected!
Mobula
13 June 2022
On May 11 in Bali, The SeaCleaners and its partner the Rotary Club Bali Pecatu, organised the cleaning of a mangrove with about twenty pupils from the SD Negeri 1 and 2 school in Tanjung Benoa.
In the Ngurah Rai forest conservation area in Taman Baruna, Jimbaran Bali, we cleaned up 1,200 m² of mangrove, collecting 125 kg of waste. There were no less than 40 of us to carry out this major clean-up.
On the menu: biscuit bags, straws, glass and plastic bottles, sandals, bags, construction debris, electrical wires, etc.:
- 82.5 kg of various plastics
- 17.25 kg of rubber
- 17 kg of glass bottles
- 8 kg of mineral water bottles
- 0.25 kg of straws
- …
Still wearing gloves, the waste was then separated into different categories that the children were asked to name. A perfect transition to the next step: an awareness-raising session through games.
“Coconut Shy”, memory game, infographics… these two hours of discussion, creativity and collective games took place in strict compliance with the health constraints in force, all in Bahasa! These were unique moments of sharing feelings and reflection to think about the solutions that we can all put in place, each at our own level, and take action.
Led by its very dynamic president Ketut Sudarwata, the Rotary Club Bali Pecatu organizes mangrove or beach clean-ups twice a month. But regularly, apart from these collections, Ketut also organises collections followed by sorting and awareness sessions in exchange for 3 kg of rice. With this waste, Ketut makes Ecobricks used to build containers for organic waste, or decorative modules.
In these forests of trees growing on the edge or in the water, plastic waste sinks into the mud or gets stuck in the breathing roots of mangrove trees. An essential component of the mangrove, these trees are the only ones with roots that rise above the surface… so they can breathe! This shows what is at stake in any action to combat their asphyxiation.
