Gili Eco Trust - Gili Islands, Indonesia

Indonesia has seen tremendous growth in population and economy over the past three decades — and with a huge industrial boom, they’ve become the second-worst polluter of our world’s oceans behind China. Their economy also heavily relies on the ocean: They’re home to the second-largest fishery sector in the world. Tourism makes up $62.86 billion of their GDP, while coral reef tourism, in particular, is estimated at $3.1 million (World Bank, 2019).

The impact of plastic pollution easy to see in the Gili Islands in Central Indonesia. The chain of three islands, about 5.7 square miles combined, has seen a boom in tourism since the late 1990s. TripAdvisor shows over 500 results for places to stay within one mile of the town center on Gili Trawangan, the largest island. This illustrates the enormous number of visitors this island regularly sees — and points to how much trash they create. 

No motorized vehicles are on the island, so trash is collected by horse-drawn carriage and taken to a dump. During high season, the island sees up to 20,000 metric tons of waste per day, most of that remains in a dump on the island (Gili Eco Trust, 2018). 

Gili Eco Trust is working to change that. The organization, formed in 2005, has led the way in improving waste management and reducing pollution on the island.

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