Explore our very first international cleanup location in Denpasar, Bali!

ABOUT

Why Denpasar

Located on the south end of the island of Bali, you’ll find the capital city of Denpasar, which is home to more than 650,000 people. While travel guides don’t often list this bustling, multicultural city in their top 10 places to visit, Denpasar bristles with temples, palaces, and museums; is home to exciting cultural events like dances, puppet theater, festivals, and art exhibitions; and, because it’s a melting pot of different cultures from all over Indonesia, offers a variety of regional and ethnic Indonesian cuisine. But that’s not why 4ocean is in Denpasar.

Denpasar is the gateway to Bali, providing access to virtually all of the island and its plastic-strewn beaches. That’s why, in March 2018, we chose Denpasar as the site of 4ocean’s very first international headquarters.

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ABOUT graphic image.
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OVERVIEW

Denpasar operations

4ocean Bali operates out of our main office in Denpasar. This is where we plan our cleanup strategies, analyze our impact, and handle all of the administrative tasks that come with running a full-scale ocean cleanup operation. Our Denpasar facility also features a warehouse where the marine debris recovered by our coastal cleanup crews is sorted and stored before it’s transported to our Jembrana location for processing. Not only does this location make it easier to move our cleanup crews, equipment, and supplies around the island, it also acts as the island’s main gate for sending goods to other countries. 4ocean bracelets that are assembled in Bali are shipped to our global distribution center in the United States from Denpasar

Coastal cleanups

Bali’s coastlines are the crossroads where ocean plastic and river plastic meet. During monsoon season, torrential downpours, rising rivers, and strong offshore winds flood Bali’s beaches with plastic waste.

Our location in Denpasar gives us access to many beaches that are heavily impacted by plastic pollution. That’s why we have eight full-time coastal cleanup crews operating out of Denpasar.

Our Denpasar crews are responsible for cleaning this stretch of coastline which spans more than 10 miles along the southwestern tip of the island.

Cleanups range from Lima Beach to Kedonganan Beach and include Bali’s iconic Kuta Beach, one of the island’s premier tourist destinations.

Our Denpasar crews recover an average of 3,000 pounds of plastic and other marine debris from these beaches every single day.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS

Plastic pollution gets worse during monsoon season

Bali’s tropical monsoon climate has two distinct seasons: the dry season, which runs from May to September, and the wet season, which runs from October to April. During the wet season, strong winds and heavy rains cause massive amounts of inland and offshore debris to accumulate on Bali’s southwest coastlines. Local officials say the problem gets worse every year and science backs that up. While beaches around the world have seen an increase in plastic waste, there’s a much stronger seasonal effect observed in areas affected by monsoons. Researchers have found that the rise in plastic pollution during monsoon season is actually in line with increases in global plastic production.

Bali’s tourism industry provides significant employment opportunities and economic growth, but this sector is threatened by increasing amounts of plastic pollution. Bali’s local government dispatches crews to clean these beaches every day, and sometimes 4ocean crews are called in to assist, but the trash just keeps coming.

While poor waste management in Indonesia is partly to blame, plastic pollution is a global issue and not all of the plastic washing up on Bali’s beaches originates here. That’s why plastic pollution anywhere is a problem everywhere.

Pull a Pound + Help Fund Our Cleanups
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS graphic image.
Pull a Pound + Help Fund Our Cleanups

MEET THE CREW

Crew member highlights

We employ more than 20 individuals at our Denpasar location and, together, they recover an average of 3,000 pounds of trash every single day. While we wish we could introduce you to each and every one of our crew members, we had to pick just three to spotlight. Keep scrolling to meet some of the people who do the extremely hard work of pulling pounds and keeping our oceans clean each and every day.

I Gede Rajeswardana

Rajeswardana is a proud member of the 4ocean cleanup crew and currently tops Denpasar’s leaderboard for most pounds pulled. Prior to working at 4ocean, he worked in product distribution but made the switch because he believes that preserving the sea is important and wanted to help protect it for the animals and people that rely on it to survive. Rajeswardana’s favorite thing about working for 4ocean is the opportunity to meet and share our mission with people from all walks of life that come to Bali from all around the world. His family is very supportive and says “Who else will protect the ocean if not us?” Rajeswardana loves a good BBQ and is happiest when he’s spending time with his friends.

Favorite accomplishment

Reaching 10 million pounds pulled

Favorite place to clean

The Batu Belig River during rainy season because there’s so much trash

Favorite bracelet

The 4ocean Dolphin Bracelet because dolphins are his favorite ocean animal

Shop the Dolphin Bracelet

Muhammad Anang

Muhammad is the captain of our Denpasar cleanup crew and is responsible for choosing where the Denpasar crew will clean each day. Prior to working at 4ocean, he worked in factories or as an independent salesman. Then he met our Director of Operations and became interested in working to protect our oceans. Like Rajeswardana, his favorite part of the job is being able to educate people about plastic pollution and how to prevent it. Muhammad says he has a small family, but a happy one that supports his profession. When he’s not working, you can find him touring the island on his motorcycle.

Favorite accomplishment

Reaching 10 million pounds pulled

Favorite place to clean

Kedonganan Beach in October and November because it gets very polluted and he loves to see the before and afters

Favorite bracelet

4ocean Shark Beaded Bracelet because sharks are his favorite animal and black is his favorite color

Shop the Shark Bracelet

I Ketut Sutawa

Sutawa is a truck driver who helps transport all of the trash recovered by the Denpasar crew. He also joins the Denpasar crew and helps pull pounds whenever he can. Sometimes, thoughts of all the work that still needs to be done to protect our oceans keeps him up at night. When he’s not at work, Sutawa enjoys fishing and spending time with his wife and kids, a boy and girl, who are just as proud of the work he’s doing as he is of them. He believes environmental awareness is something that should be passed from generation to generation.

Favorite accomplishment

Hearing positive feedback from visitors and people in his community

Favorite place to clean

Anywhere that needs it

Favorite bracelet

Sea turtles are his favorite animal, but he loves the Albatross Bracelet best

Shop the Albatross Bracelet

Uncover the full story of 4ocean Bali

We’re taking the clean ocean movement behind the scenes of our cleanup operation in Bali over the next couple months. Check out the stories we’ve shared so far and scroll down to sign up for email alerts so never miss a new update!

The birthplace of 4ocean

Our founders grew up in Florida and made their living from the ocean, but Bali is where they truly began to understand the severity of the ocean plastic crisis and its impact not just on marine life, but on the coastal communities that, like them, relied on the health of the ocean to survive. Click the button below to explore the sources of plastic pollution in Indonesia and see the island that inspired the clean ocean movement.

Explore Now

4ocean Bali’s cleanup strategy

We chose to launch our first international cleanup operation on the island of Bali not just because it’s the birthplace of 4ocean, but because it strategically places us in areas where we can have the biggest impact.

Explore Our Strategy

Explore the tools we use to recover ocean plastic in Bali

Let us show you all of the tools and equipment we’ve invested in to keep our crews safe and maximize our impact in Bali. Remember that this is what you make possible every time you shop 4ocean and pull a pound of trash.

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