Pollution cleaning
Bali, Indonesia
October 2019.
Bali, the island of Gods, known for its volcanic mountains, rice fields, beaches, coral reefs and spiritual retreats...
What is hiding behind one of the most demanded islands in the Indonesian archipelago?
Is the image seen on social networks true? Is it always beautiful and pure?
We wanted to see the other side of this heavenly destination through a humanitarian mission proposed by Simone on HelpX (volunteering platform), a German expatriate in Seririt, North Bali. She tells us how horrified she was/is by the amount of waste present on the beaches around, as well as the rice fields and surrounding environments. She explains to us with her own words: “I could not just complain and do anything, I had to do something”. Her project will develop slowly but surely. Firstly, she was walking alone with her dogs, always taking it as an opportunity to collect the waste that was on her way. Then, given the huge amount of waste, she quickly realized that a helping hand would not be too much. She then begins to offer shelter in exchange for help to clean the area.
We only stayed a few days at Simone’s, because of the large number of volunteers present.
The truth is that we are looking for small structures to be closer to locals, with very few volunteers.
Our typical day was as follow:
-
Waking up at 6:30.
-
Departure to the rice fields around 7:00, armed with gloves and large bags.
-
Waste collection.
-
Separation of plastic bottles from other waste, given to disadvantaged people who can get a few rupees from it to improve their daily lives.
-
Round trips to the waste disposal place to empty our bags.
-
Back around 10:00 at Simone’s.
-
Cleaning of equipment (gloves, bags etc.)
Our reflections after only a few days of mission:
-
The amount of waste is crazy. When cleaning, it feels like it’s never going to stop. There are continuing piles of waste. Because yes, Simone explains us that the place remains clean only a few weeks, before being dirty again. It’s an important psychological effort and we wonder how Simone can not be discouraged in front of the fatality of things.
-
90% of what we pick up is plastic, the rest is disaggregated. This doesn’t surprise us, when we think that its life span is about 1000 years, generally more than some natural eco-systems themselves. Plastic eats our planet and takes everything on its way. Our consumption is excessive, leaving no time for nature to rebuild itself from our ways of life.
-
Waste (not to mention plastic) mixes with nature, land and agricultural productions. We are shocked when we realize that rice fields are fed by waste, which becomes part of the production itself. There are layers of plastic that are mixed with layers of soil. Our food is nourished by plastic and is therefore intoxicated. Mmh the good ketan (indonesian white rice)...!
What can we do to limit the damages?
-
DO NOT TAKE NATURE FOR A GIANT DUMP: do not throw anywhere. The wind, the water and nature itself move the waste and it becomes found in critical places such as our agricultural productions (eg rice fields in Asia).
-
REDUCE OUR PLASTIC CONSUMPTION to the maximum (bags, straws, bottles, cups, etc). Turn to in-store foods that are not sold with plastic packaging. Use alternative means to limit waste (eg bulk food in reusable glass jars for example).
-
RECYCLE. Our resources are limited and we exploit them as if there was no tomorrow. One day, we will not have any resource anymore. It also leads us to significant climate changes and a loss of biodiversity. We have to realize that we cannot continue like this. This planet, our home to all, is in danger because of our way of life and our overconsumption.
-
SHARE, RAISE AWARENESS & EDUCATE. We cannot act if we do not become aware of some realities. Things change, but too slowly. Nobody in particular is responsible, we all are. Together. Realize that our borders are invisible to humanity. That we are and will all end up in the same bag and no one is to blame. That we have to share, raise awareness and educate, not blame and reject. We all are humans, we all are equal, but the truth is that we are not all born in the same context, with the same opportunities and access. We have to have the courage to see beyond our noses and help each other.