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Bali is famously coined the land of the gods<\/em>, a beautiful mecca of heaven-like mountains and jungles where spirituality is felt through every being. While this may still be partly true, it is impossible to miss the impact humans have had on the environment over the past 50 years or so. Indonesia is rife with environmental issues; from deforestation due to the palm oil industry, to species endangerment but no problem is greater or more damaging here than plastic pollution. As someone out here working for an environmental organisation you may think it obvious I notice and draw attention to this, but I think even as a tourist it is impossible to ignore the roadsides littered in bottles or plastic-bergs congesting river flows.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Four of Indonesia rivers rank among the most polluted in the world and Bali itself is responsible for emitting 200,000 tonnes of plastic every year. This is a massive problem that is highly unsustainable and taking its toll on the natural environment. Rivers have become so polluted that the majority of the population are dependent on single-use plastic water bottles, which become a part of their everyday lives. But the worst impact is when all this plastic is inevitably washed out to sea where it can entangle marine life, destroy precious coral reef ecosystems and be broken down to harmful toxins. I\u2019m sure many people have already seen the famous video clip of a diver Richard Horn in Manta Bay, Nusa Penida (a small island off the east coast of Bali) as he tries to snorkel through the sea of trash. Manta rays are a common animal in these seas and as filter feeders are particularly susceptible to intake of plastic and seriously threatened by the issue.<\/p>\n