to increase efforts to reduce the amount of waste in coastal areas of Bali.
This is part of an initiative to boost the image of the Indonesian tourism industry while supporting the economic well-being of local communities.
Garuda Indonesia became the third partner in the Bali Beach Clean Up (BBCU) program, which was first established in 2008 by CCAI and Quiksilver to address the increasing amount of waste, a major problem in Bali.
In 2013 alone, BBCU has collected approximately a million kilograms of waste from Kuta, Jimbaran, Legian, Seminyak and Kedonganan beaches, with a cumulative total of 14 million kg collected since the program began. Through close cooperation with locals at Bendesa Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran, and Kedonganan, BBCU has evolved into a daily program, with 74 crew cleaning 9.7 miles of the busiest beaches in Bali. To assist the program, CCAI and Quiksilver have invested in four tractors, three trucks and more than 300 dumpsters.
A tangible indicator of the program’s success is that cleaner beaches have been more attractive to turtles to lay their eggs there. BBCU has collaborated with the Bali Sea Turtle Society since 2008, returning 50,000 newly hatched turtles back to their marine habitat at Kuta Beach.
The Bali Big Eco Weekend will be held on June 22, with CCAI, Quicksilver and Garuda Indonesia working together again.