Plastic is destroying many of our favourite places. Last year Bali even declared a garbage emergency as it removes 100 tonnes of trash from its beaches each day. Some days it just feels like there is no stopping the tidal waves of plastic that arrive via the ocean. And then you look at some of the stats, and there doesn’t seem to be any good news.
For example, did you know that there are 500 times more pieces of plastic in the oceans than there are stars in the galaxy? It’s almost as bad as learning we’re on track to have more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. The issue is so prevalent that these days 15% of the sand in Hawai’i is made up of microplastics. Pretty disturbing, isn’t it?
Well, The Luxe Nomad is working be part of the change by supporting two initiatives.
#1 Bali’s Biggest Clean Up
On Saturday, 16 February, the third edition of Bali’s Biggest Clean-Up will be taking place in over 100 locations around the island. The event, aimed to help clear the beaches, is expected to involve a record number of volunteers and coordinators. And The Luxe Nomad will be there to assist in carting away the trash.
As Mirko Corbella, General Manager of The Luxe Nomad Bali, puts it, “The Luxe Nomad Bali and all its team members are looking forward to contributing to Bali’s Biggest Clean-Up. It is a great effort in working with local communities on creating effective waste disposal techniques and keeping Bali Island clean, and green. We all want to do what we can to preserve the island’s fragile eco-system.”
If you’re in Bali on Saturday, we encourage you to get involved and be a part of the solution!
Read also: Creating a Plastic-less World with Bye Bye Plastic Bags’ Melati and Isabel Wijsen
#2 Our Seabin
If you’ve been following us for the past year, you’ll know that in May, The Luxe Nomad fundraised USD 5,600 for a Seabin. The Seabin, which is the amazing brainchild of two Aussie surfers, is a floating bin that sits in the seas collecting rubbish, but not fish.
With that money we purchased and installed a Seabin at the Aberdeen Marina Club in Hong Kong. Since its installation at the Aberdeen Marina Club, our Seabin has been collecting on average 156.4kg of rubbish a month. We expect it to rid the waters of 1.9 tonnes of debris per year.
Read also: Help us keep the seas clean!
We recognise that neither of these efforts are major game changers when it comes to pollution, but every bit of plastic that is removed from our oceans is one less bit of plastic consumed by marine life and seabirds. It makes a difference, even if it’s only a small one.
Of course, we continue to look for ways to make the world a plastic-free place and are so grateful to everyone who goes out of their way to do so as well. Whether you’re organising clean-ups, donating to our Seabin, or saying no to single-use plastic, we want to say, “Thank you, you’re the best!”
