5 MIN READ
05-14-2025
Lampon Beach Calls: Real Action for a Cleaner Environment
Dika, 4ocean Jembrana Content Correspondent
Located at the southernmost tip of Banyuwangi, Lampon Beach is a quiet, windswept stretch of coastline surrounded by forested hills and distant fishing boats. It’s also a site where the upstream failures of waste management come to die. The 4ocean Java team traveled over an hour from base to reach this remote shore, knowing what awaited them: a beach blanketed in trash, much of it delivered by the very rivers that should give life, not litter.
Flooding in recent weeks had pushed massive amounts of waste—both organic and inorganic—downstream. When the swollen rivers finally met the sea, they spilled their contents onto Lampon’s shores. What should have been a pristine coastline had become a dumping ground.
The Java beach crew came prepared with ropes, cutters, sacks, and sturdy resolve. From the moment they stepped onto the shoreline, they worked methodically—splitting up to tackle scattered debris, sorting it into sacks, and transporting it to centralized collection points.
Plastic waste was everywhere—bottles, cups, bags, sandals, even shoes. But what made this cleanup particularly challenging was the sheer volume of bamboo and fallen tree branches, under which plastic waste often hid. To reach the trash, team members had to dig through layers of organic material, adding time and effort to an already demanding task.
Despite strong winds and sudden bursts of rain, they didn’t stop. The affected area sat about 300 meters from the nearest vehicle access, so the team had to make repeated treks to move the trash. It was exhausting work—but it was also deeply necessary.
What We Found
- Total plastic waste collected: 1,143.8 lbs
- Key items found: Plastic bags, bottles, foam, cups, cans, glass, shoes
- Unique Finds: A child’s slipper buried under layers of debris, almost fossilized in sand and silt
- Environmental Insight: Plastic caught between bamboo and branches shows how easily waste hides in nature—and how hard it is to remove once it’s there
Krisna Iza Rabindra, team captain, summed up the spirit of the day:
“I feel very fortunate to work at 4ocean Java. Here, I’ve learned a lot about cleanliness and developed a stronger mindset. I enjoy this job because it creates real impact, especially in raising awareness. People need to understand—when floods come, trash doesn’t stay in the rivers. It ends up here, on our beaches and in our oceans.”
While Lampon Beach was today’s battlefield, the true war is further inland. In many river communities, waste disposal systems are nonexistent. People toss both organic and inorganic waste directly into rivers. When the rains arrive, so does disaster—not just for the rivers, but for the beaches, the marine life, and ultimately the ocean.
Without stronger awareness and better habits upstream, coastal cleanups like this will remain a form of triage—important, but not enough.
4ocean Java is not just a cleanup team. We’re part of a movement to educate, inspire, and take consistent, tangible action to protect ecosystems from mountain to sea. Every sack lifted today is part of that promise.
