Sungai Watch

Once a trash scavenger, and now a full-time team member at Sungai Watch, Pak Sugiono’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. Even after his long days working with us in the rivers, Pak Sugiono continues scavenging for trash from a place of true determination. To him, plastic has value. Every piece matters. For Pak Sugiono, it’s not just about cleaning— it’s about seeing the worth in waste and turning it into something better. This kind of dedication is what drives real change. People like Pak Sugiono remind us that every small action adds up to creating a lasting impact.

Some of our craziest finds from Banyuwangi's rivers – Electronics, kids' toys, pillows, and brand new sealed snacks — it’s like a treasure hunt! 😱 But, this isn't the kind of treasure we want to find while we clean rivers. Items like these don’t belong here; they belong in places where they can be properly disposed of or given a second life, like junkyards or recycling centers. So remember: when you’re done with something, make sure you dispose of it the right way.

🚨 Styrofoam overflow – Our barriers in East Java are catching so much styrofoam, one of the most harmful types of plastic polluting our waterways. The white styrofoam you see in this video, or Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is made up of 98% air and quickly breaks down into tiny particles, which are almost impossible to collect. Through our barriers, we are able to prevent this plastic from reaching the ocean, before it starts breaking down into small particles. This barrier alone has caught an impressive 7,173 kg of waste since it was installed.

4 years of tackling trash-filled rivers... And last week, all of our Sungai Watch River Warriors got to finally enjoy a clean river 🚣♀️💦 This is the type of river we are fighting for—because clean rivers bring life, joy, and hope.

So grateful for this incredible team of 155 passionate River Warriors. This week we came together in Banyuwangi for our annual outing to align on our 2025 plans and how to scale up our impact through cleaning rivers. 2025, bring it on! 🌊

This is our best performing barrier at Sungai Watch — In just 1 year, it collected an impressive 29,963 kg of trash, all stopped from going into the ocean. Located in Banyuwangi, the barrier sometimes catches so much trash, that we call upon all 42 team members from Banyuwangi across 3 stations to tackle the trash caught from this barrier.

4,040 kg of plastic removed from just one barrier! This river’s transformation is proof that change is possible. Our barriers may be small but they’re effective in stopping plastic from going into the ocean in rivers. It’s all about simple and scalable solutions!

As of today, we have removed 66,339 kg of plastic from Kedonganan Beach in Bali, Indonesia. During this emergency cleanup, we saw the true power of community come together. We called out for help and Bali answered. Almost 3,000 of you showed up to help us clean the beach. All of the trash collected is now being sorted at one of our sorting facilities. We are separating the trash by material type. Most of what we collected on the beach in Kedonganan was Polypropylene (PP) plastic cups, which fortunately are recyclable. We will be working with our sister company, Sungai Design, to turn this 66+ ton of trash into something exciting. Stay tuned!

Ten days of cleaning up Kedonganan Beach, and we have successfully collected 66,339 kg of waste! Despite heavy rains and rising tides, we worked around the clock to clear the shoreline of Jimbaran. This cleanup is a snapshot of why it is so important to stop plastic in rivers before it goes out into the ocean. No matter how much trash we collect, more trash keeps coming back the next day. We have never seen so much plastic wash up on Bali’s shores than in these past few days. It can be demoralizing, but we are hopeful that with our Bali community behind us, anything is possible. Let’s make sure Jimbaran beach stays plastic free!

What an incredible weekend! Over 1,500 volunteers came together to help our team remove over 40,000 kg of waste from Bali’s shores. A big thank you to everyone for coming down, to our food and drink sponsors, and to all the businesses on Kedonganan Beach, who kindly hosted us. We couldn’t have cleaned up this beach without you!