FRIDAY BEACH CLEAN UP

What is Debris-free Friday?

Weekly Event: Every Friday at 5:00 PM, Gili Eco Trust (GET) organises a beach clean-up session called Debris-Free Friday.
Duration: The clean-up lasts for one hour, from 5 PM to 6 PM.
Who Can Join: Locals, tourists, backpackers, and divers are all welcome.
No Registration Needed: You don’t need to sign up in advance — you can just show up.

Litter and Marine Debris Removal: The primary goal is to pick up plastic and other marine debris from the beaches of Gili Trawangan.
Waste Sorting & Recycling: During the clean-up, volunteers learn to sort the waste. GET claims that up to 70% of the debris collected is recyclable.
Education: Apart from collecting trash, the event is a way for GET to educate participants about waste strategies, recycling, and the environmental challenges on the island.
Community Engagement: It’s also an opportunity for the local community, dive shops, and businesses to join forces, promoting a shared responsibility for environmental care.

Trash Collected: According to GET, they collect around 7,000 kg (7 tonnes) of marine debris annually through these sessions.
Participation: The program is supported by many local businesses — over 40 businesses on Gili Trawangan have sponsored or partnered in past years to make it a regular, well-known event.
Long-Term Effect: By consistently removing trash and sorting it for recycling, the clean-up helps reduce plastic pollution and contributes to GET’s overall waste-management goals.

Free Drink: As a thank-you for volunteering, GET gives each participant a free drink after the clean-up.
Social Atmosphere: The event is not just about work — it’s also a social gathering. It brings together tourists, divers, locals, and eco-conscious travelers to connect, talk, and make a visible impact.
Learning by Doing: During the clean-up, volunteers are guided on how to pick and sort waste properly, giving practical insight into how recycling works and why it’s important.

Part of GET’s Waste Strategy: Debris-Free Friday is integrated into Gili Eco Trust’s broader waste-management efforts, which also include running a recycling station (Bank Sampah) with FMPL.
Tourism + Conservation: The clean-up program aligns with GET’s mission to combine eco-tourism and conservation: tourists don’t just passively see the island — they actively contribute to keeping it clean.
Behavior Change: Regular participation helps raise awareness and encourages both visitors and locals to think more carefully about waste, especially plastic.

Sorting Capacity: While volunteers sort debris during the clean-up, ensuring the collected waste is actually recycled (rather than ending up in landfill) depends on the island’s recycling infrastructure.
Volunteer Fluctuations: The number of participants may vary week to week, depending on how many tourists are around or how many locals join.
Sustainability of Incentives: Getting a free drink is a great motivator, but long-term behavior change requires consistent education, not just rewards.

Direct Environmental Impact: Removing kilograms of trash weekly helps prevent pollution from entering the ocean or harming wildlif
Educational Value: It builds understanding about marine pollution, waste management, and recycling — especially among tourists who may not think about these issues when on holiday.
Community Building: It brings together different groups (local community, businesses, tourists) around a common goal, strengthening local stewardship of the environment.
Funding & Awareness: The visibility of Debris-Free Friday helps GET raise awareness about its mission and may lead to more support (donations, partnerships, etc.).