Ibu Nurdie & Ibu Wayan

Uluwatu boasts one of the world's best surf breaks as highlighted by the classic 1972 film Morning of the Earth. Two years later, Uluwatu was thrown into the mainstream spotlight when Gerry Lopez, the famous surf pioneer surfed the wave here. An explosion of commercial development led to some serious major environmental hazards here.

In 2011, Project Clean Uluwatu formed and set about to tackle the growing waste issues in the area. Before this, waste from the restaurants and warungs was either thrown off the cliff into the ocean or left in a heap behind the public toilets. In an attempt to clean up the area and stop ocean pollution, Project Clean Uluwatu removed 30 tons of discarded waste and employed Ibu Nurdie and her daughter Ibu Wayan to collect and sort the trash at Pantai Suluban on a daily basis.

Ibu Nurdie and Ibu Wayan regularly make at least five trips a day up the steep flight of more than 90 stairs, carrying the heavy bags of rubbish ready for collection from ecoBali. ecoBali  recycle and ensure the waste is properly disposed of at the legal landfill near Sanur. Thanks to Project Clean Uluwatu and Ibu Nurdie and Ibu Wayan's hard work Pantai Suluban is now a cleaner, safer area for its inhabitants and visitors.

Click here to read the Indonesian translation.