We are a group of 5 master students from Delft University of Technology. Everyone has different backgrounds in Civil Engineering disciplines. In December last year, officials in Bali declared a "garbage emergency" after the country's most popular tourist beaches were overwhelmed with a rising tide of plastic waste.
When we first heard about the plastic problem in Indonesia, we were astonished by the amount of plastics that wash ashore during rainy season and felt the necessity to do something about it. Our multidisciplinary team is motivated to take up the major challenge in working on such a complex problem by combining our knowledge in the area of Coastal Engineering.
Plastic pollution on Bali has soared in recent years and has become a major concern for visitors, residents and marine life. But much of what arrives on its beaches comes from other parts of the heavily polluted Java Sea. Bali's economy suffers severely from the plastic waste as it is greatly dependent on the tourist industry. We have set up this project because we want to contribute to a safe, clean and appealing living environment in Indonesia.
We are going to research the coastal area of Bali. The objective of our project is to map the plastic waste problem in South-West Bali, where the problem is most severe, and look for potential solutions to mitigate plastic washing at its beaches. Besides research the team will also run an awareness program. Here we will try to educate the local community on plastic waste and spread awareness about the severity of the problem. This will be summarized in a small documentary in order to create awareness.
