Kuta, Bali (ANTARA) - Minister of Elementary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti along with three members of the Red and White Cabinet participated in a beach clean-up activity to clear the garbage piled up at Kuta Beach, Badung District, Bali, on Saturday.
Three other ministers joining the beach cleanup were Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, Minister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, and Minister of Tourism Widiyanti Putri Wardhana.
“Imagine in decades there could be more garbage than fish in the sea, let alone non-biodegradable waste, such as plastic," Hasan remarked.
Hasan emphasized that without proper handling, marine debris, including plastic, poses a significant threat to food security, especially affecting the fisheries sector.
Current estimates suggest that marine waste could reach approximately 600 thousand tons daily.
Meanwhile, Minister Nurofiq highlighted that managing waste in Bali, including at Kuta Beach, has become the government's priority as the region carries Indonesia's reputation at the global level.
The accumulation of garbage is particularly visible during the west wind season from October to March every year.
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Nurofiq predicts that the volume of waste arriving at Bali's shores in 2024-2025 would surpass that of 2020-2021, estimating around six thousand tons compared to 2,900 tons in 2023.
He affirmed that this clean-up initiative is one of the government's concrete actions to collaborate across sectors to handle waste and educate the public.
Some 2,115 individuals participated in the event, including members of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), National Police (Polri), students, community groups, cleaning staff, the Kuta Task Force, traditional villages, non-governmental organizations, mass media representatives, and social media activists.
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The garbage collected at Kuta Beach comprised plastics, rubber materials, and wood.
After collection, the waste was weighed and transported to a processing site in collaboration with a third partner.
Attendees at the activity comprised Deputy Minister of Environment Diaz Hendropriyono, Presidential Special Envoy for Tourism Zita Anjani, Bali Acting Governor Sang Made Mahendra Jaya, Head of Badung District Giri Prasta, Regional Military Commander (Pangdam IX/Udayana), Bali Police, Military Command Post (Korem 163/Wira Satya), and representatives from the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.
