Plastic paradise: on the frontlines of the fight to clean up pollution in Bali – in pictures

In January the island’s beaches were inundated with waves of plastic pollution, a phenomenon that has been getting worse by the year. Photographer and film-maker Sean Gallagher travelled to Bali to document the increasing tide of rubbish washing up on beaches and riverbanks, and the people facing the monumental challenge of cleaning up. His portraits are on show as part of the 2025 Head On photo festival at Bondi Beach promenade until 30 November

Komang Juniawan stands at a waste collection barrier in the mangroves of central Bali. He is a member of Sungai Watch, an organisation which organises clean-ups and places barriers to stop plastic pollution from going into the ocean.

Made Ani Mahetri takes part in a clean-up of plastic waste on Kedonganan beach.

Edy Irawan during a beach clean-up on Kedonganan beach. In January 2025, Bali’s beaches were inundated with waves of plastic pollution.

The rainy season flushes out Indonesia’s polluted rivers, depositing millions of tonnes of plastic waste into the oceans, which wash up on the country’s beaches.

Made Bolang collects rubbish from a small river in a rice field, on the outskirts of a village in Bali. He is part of a community clean-up team who regularly take part in collecting refuse that has accumulated in local rivers and streams.

Some NGOs organise local clean-up events, mobilising residents and tourists to help pick up rubbish from the beaches – but the waves of plastic pollution keep coming.

The challenge residents face is monumental, as Bali struggles with a pollution crisis that is overwhelming the popular tourist island.

Cover photo:  Putu Agus Indrawan holds up bags of plastic water bottles at a recycling centre. ‘With a population of 250 million, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country and second-largest plastic polluter in the world after China,’ according to the United Nations Environment Program. Photograph: Sean Gallagher