On July 20th, 2019, 160 people worked together to clean up Mertasari Beach in Sanur, Bali.  CTC and Trash Hero supported this event that was organized by Tauzia Hotels. The participants, including  primary school students from SDN 11 Sanur, Tauzia Hotels staff, Trash Hero and the CTC collected 408 kilograms of trash, preventing it from polluting the ocean and coastline. During the beach clean-up event, the CTC also taught the students about marine ecosystems and the animals that depend on them by playing our board game, Aquatico.

To provide a lasting solution after the beach clean-up event, a “Hungry Fish” was installed at Mertasari beach. The Hungry Fish acts as a huge bin, providing the community with a place to throw trash. 

Nigel Douwes, the General Manager of Maison Aurelia recognizes that the hospitality industry is one of the largest producers of waste in Bali. He also acknowledges that beach clean ups are a one-off event, so the Tauzia team hopes the Hungry Fish becomes a new solution to reduce plastic waste on the coast and in the ocean.

“We were thinking how can we contribute not only once. When we do the beach clean up, the beach will look clean but maybe tomorrow or many days later the trash will return, so it has less impact for the future” said Nigel.

The Hungry Fish at Mertasari beach is not the first in Bali. This artwork is inspired by Segara Village that installed a Hungry Fish at Segara beach. According to Nigel, the fish-shaped bin is a symbol of ocean protection, highlighting the importance of these ecosystems which produce half the world’s oxygen and provide food and livelihoods for millions of people. Hopefully the unique shape of the Hungry Fish can also be a fun way to educate the community to be more aware of plastic pollution.