I Made Yudi Arsana joined the Project STOP team in September 2019 as the Chief Delivery Officer for our Jembrana city partnership, fully supported by the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. A year into his role, we sat down with Made Yudi to learn more about his story.

Tell us about your journey before Project STOP, and did you grow up seeing plastic in the environment?

I was born and raised in Padang Bai, a coastal village in Karangasem Regency, located in the eastern part of Bali. I studied environmental engineering and have been very passionate with environmental issues since then, including solid waste management. It is important to save our environment from plastic pollution. Bali is well known as a tourism destination and if we take a closer look, every now and then we’ll spot some pieces of plastic.

How did you first get involved in environmental plastic pollution?

I am very passionate about environmental issues. Before joining Project STOP, I worked at an NGO in Bali that focused on sanitation issues, including solid waste management. I worked closely with the community to raise awareness and develop a concrete action plan to build a waste facility. It was this experience that made me understand more about issues surrounding plastic pollution and waste managements.  Building on this experience, I am happy to be a part of the Project STOP team in Jembrana, where I continue to work with the local government and the community to provide impactful, circular solutions to plastic pollution in rural and urban areas.

Why is this issue important to you?

If the community is not engaged on how to properly dispose their waste at home, the result can be very negative to Indonesia and its people: from environmental damage and health problems, to economic downturns and the long-term sustainability of tourism in Bali. For me, a clean Indonesia is one of the main drivers of economic growth and tourism in Bali.

I Made Yudi’s passion for solving the plastic leakage crisis has helped make sure more than 160,000 people in Jembrana and Negara sub-districts have access to waste collection services, and more than 12,000 tonnes of waste have been saved from Indonesia’s landfills and waterways.

                 I Made Yudi during field socialisation with the Vice Head of Jembraa Regency and the local community

How do you feel about being part of Project STOP?

I feel very happy to be a part of the Project STOP team. In my role, I have the opportunity to plan and develop sustainable waste management systems, encourage and educate the community to sort their waste properly, and engage and work with local governments to provide policies related to waste management. I am excited that I can share my passion, knowledge and experience that have a positive impact on the environment.

For Project STOP to be successful, we need collaboration across all stakeholders, including the vital support from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and ongoing commitment from the Jembrana government to build a sustainable, circular and holistic waste management system. We are grateful for their commitment and engagement.

What do you love most about your work?

What I love most about my work is how much I get to work and collaborate with the government and local communities. As key important stakeholders, each play a crucial role to end leakage of plastic waste into the environment. This is not easy work, but I believe through collaborative action at the frontline, we can and will solve the plastic pollution issue and provide circular waste management system that can be sustainable and replicable in other places.

 

To learn more about Project STOP and our work in the Jembrana Regency, please visit: https://www.stopoceanplastics.com/en_gb/jembrana/