The amazing work of Sungai Watch in Bali

The rainy season here has been intense. Rivers are clogged with trash and beaches completely covered in plastic.

See more of the devastation here, here, and here.

We are forever (and increasingly) proud and amazed by the ongoing undertakings of the Bencheghibs and the team at Sungai Watch. Just when you feel jaded and helpless and without a vision of where to even begin… Give a nod to these folks who are taking it head-on every day. They are our heroes.

They’ve introduced Indonesia’s Trash Hotline. If you see trash in a river around Bali, send a photo and an exact pin to #SungaiHotline via WhatsApp +62 8123 6666 188 and they’ll send a crew to go clean it up 🌊

Since August 2020, they have collected 240,000 pounds (108,862 kilograms) of trash. Think about that—just from Bali, a tiny island with less than five million people, during a year where it had NO visitors. Check out this report analyzing the worst offenders of single-use plastics found in Bali’s waterways.

At Sungai Watch, they develop and test simple trash barriers to prevent plastics from entering our ocean and partner with the Indonesian government for mass cleanups.