The Plastic Problem

Recycling isn’t very prominent Gili Air and everything comes in plastic. Over 8 million tonnes of plastic enters the world’s oceans each year. Unfortunately, as tourists, we contribute massively to the plastic consumed on the island, especially as we can’t drink the tap water which means we have to buy bottled water. Staying hydrated means buying 2-3 big bottles of water each day which equates to a huge amount of plastic over an 11 day stay.

I’ve put together a few tips that anyone can use, wherever in the world to help reduce plastic consumption:

1. Refill your bottles

There are loads of places on Gili Air where you can get your bottles refilled with filtered drinking water. To get a large 1.5 litre bottle refilled costs 7000 IDR, whereas a new bottle from a shop costs 10,000 IDR. You save money and reduce plastic – win win. (This also goes for most places in the world, especially when you can drink tap water).

2. Say no to the straws

Straws are incredibly damaging to the ocean’s animals and they’re something that we really don’t need. So next time you have a drink, refuse the straw – think of the turtles!! Or, get yourself a reusable straw and keep it forever.

3. Pick it up

If you see any plastic on the beach, or in the ocean, pick it up and put it in a bin. Plastic that’s left on the beach will be absorbed into the ocean, harming marine life. Even picking up 1 bottle will make a difference.

Bamboo straw in Blue Merlin Dive School Cafe on Gili Air – they don’t serve any plastic in their cafe & their Wi-Fi password is “stopplastic”. As if that wasn’t good enough, their food is delicious.