An image of a turtle in Bali, tangled up in floating plastic trash has quickly gone viral on social media this past week.
While the image of the struggling sea turtle stuck in rubbish is a sad one, the popular photo has a feel-good element to it — the turtle was apparently rescued from drowning in the garbage by a Bali beach cleanup crew from the US-based eco-oriented company, 4ocean.
This is why we do what we do. #4ocean pic.twitter.com/d00TkPcgvR
— 4ocean (@4oceanBracelets) May 31, 2019
“Our Bali Cleanup Crew was out doing what they do best, cleaning the ocean when they spotted this turtle,” the photo’s Instagram caption reads.
“They were able to untangle the turtle and continue cleaning the ocean to prevent other turtles from getting stuck.”
4ocean was started by a pair of surfers after a trip to Indonesia, who faced a depressing, yet common experience when paddling out in Bali, especially during the island’s wet season: surfing amongst heaps of plastic.
The company sells bracelets from recycled materials, telling customers that each purchase funds one pound of trash removal. 4ocean has done cleanups in 27 countries, but it opened it first international headquarters in Bali, according to its website.
Indonesia holds the unfortunate distinction of being the world’s second-largest producer of plastic marine waste, behind only China.
Another image gone viral this year, underscoring the archipelago’s trash problem, was a picture of woman sunbathing on a Canggu beach, surrounded by rubbish.
Sadly, Bali’s beaches are the worst they’ve been in 10 years, according to local authorities.
View this post on Instagram
Reader Interactions