Putu Evie Suyadnyani is the co-founder of Trash Hero Kertalangu, a chapter of Trash Hero Indonesia. Evie and her husband have spent more than a decade dedicated to living responsibly and reducing plastic waste. Originally from Denpasar, Evie grew up on the beaches of Sanur and is acutely aware of the environmental problems of the area. She and her family decided to make some positive changes to their village.

“Over the past 13 years I have prepared myself to be a person and also to have family who can be role models for others,” Evie said. “We are very disciplined about our plastic diet: reduce, reuse and recycle is a must in our house, and we have even encouraged our extended family and staff do so too. Just one year ago, there has been a change of the village head, and he has taken notice of our family and our message. One month ago, Wayan Aksara with his local movement inspired us to create a new Trash Hero chapter in our area that we have called Trash Hero Kertalangu.”

Wayan Aksara is the leader of Trash Hero Saba, another Indonesian chapter began this year that has removed 1680 kilograms of trash with more than 1,000 volunteers since January.

Trash Hero Kertalangu was founded with incredible success. The community’s first cleanup was a joint, collaborative event with the Denpasar government offices and more than 1,200 people participated, including many children.

“I think that a good government program can be successful when there are people from the community involved.” Evie said. “Our Trash Hero in Kertalangu is made up of the people and the community of Kertalangu. Many people have warned us how difficult it can be if we involve the government, but I really want to prove that this is not true.”

She said that there are actually a lot of benefits for Trash Hero when working together with a governmental branch, such as the village office.

“We are very lucky we have such supportive village head. I got the village office secretary to be our coordinator between the village office staff and the community since he already has the communication base for that,” she said. “I also asked him to help to coordinate the trash pick-up. My duty is to make sure they do it in the right way, for example making sure that every cleanup participant is focused on picking up plastic trash, making sure that the rubbish ends up in the right place to be managed well and not to be burned or disposed of in an irresponsible manner. There are education opportunities that come with this cooperation. I think it is going to be a good corporation between us Trash Hero Kertalangu and the village office of Kesiman Kertalangu.”

The inaugural cleanup was attended by more than eight schools, each school represented by 20 or more students. Eleven community centres and their community chiefs, youth groups, village office staff, local police officers and local companies all also attended alongside Trash Hero staff and volunteers.

“My jaw nearly dropped and at the same time I felt a bit nervous,” Evie said in reaction to the huge turnout for the cleanup. “At the beginning of the event everything was so formal and I never thought I would have the opportunity to talk to that many people, but I got the chance to introduce Trash Hero very well and spread the message about how important it is to pick up every single piece of plastic that they see, even the small pieces. Managing that many people to do a cleanup is super hard, but I am glad that the government also works with a trash bank and that I have a great team to help.”

Evie has big plans for Trash Hero Kertalangu. She said that working with the village office she wants to help educate local residents to not litter and know how to separate their trash for the trash bank that she helped arrange. She also said that they plan to launch education initiatives to teach locals how to compost, reduce their trash and reuse and recycle instead of resorting to burning.

“One of our main aims is that there is no more trash burning in our area (or anywhere in Bali!) because it is very dangerous for residents’ health and it is annoying for residents and their families,” she said.

Above all, Evie believes in small, steady changes on a local level that can have far-reaching impact. For this, communication and collaboration is imperative.

“To really make a change that includes changing habits and mindsets, it is really important to have a local leader that you can work with and trust so that these changes can be made quicker at a local and community level. Any positive change can be achieved if there is a solution provided for the community that people feel is a benefit for them. “Together we can!”

BALI, INDONESIA – This fantastic video sponsored by the Danish Embassy Jakarta highlights the problem of trash in Bali.

Bali, an island that relies on tourism for its economy and job market, is facing a monumental trash crisis. According to the video, almost everyday there are reports of marine life washed ashore with a belly full of trash. One Island One Voice, Bali’s campaign to clean up its beaches, finds trash absolutely everywhere. Most of the trash volunteers came across is non biodegradable plastic, often just tossed from pedestrians or from vehicles.

One Island One Voice suggests that lack of education is the greatest challenge. The video says that decades ago trash was made from biodegradable materials like banana leaves and coconuts, and now plastic has replaced the natural materials. Local people don’t know that their trash doesn’t decompose anymore, and so their habits haven’t changed.

Many organizations, like Trash Hero and Bye Bye Plastic Bags are answering the call to action. The Zero Waste to Ocean Initiative is intent on education children and businesses on the dangers of waste, and ways to enact change now.

Be a trash hero: reduce your plastic trash, say no to plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic straws, and start using eco-friendly options!