The No Trash Triangle Initiative (NTTI) is a charity based in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, dedicated to combating plastic pollution in the Coral Triangle. Across Indonesia, limited waste management infrastructure means that much of the country’s waste is either not collected or not disposed of properly. As a result, plastic often leaks into the environment, eventually making its way into rivers and the ocean. This issue becomes particularly visible during periods of heavy rainfall, when waste is washed from streets into waterways and carried out to sea. Once in the marine environment, plastic pollution poses a serious threat to wildlife through ingestion, entanglement, and the release of harmful toxins. These impacts endanger marine ecosystems that are vital to both biodiversity and local communities who stand to lose food security and their livelihood. NTTI is tackling this challenge from every angle. Through a combination of waste interception and management, community engagement, education and research their passionate and determined team prevents tonnes of plastic waste from entering the ocean every day.

Workers collect plastic waste from a polluted river on a makeshift raft beside concrete riverbanks and urban buildings.

River Barriers

NTTI has placed hundreds of meters of barriers in the largest rivers of Manado City. These barriers literally block the flow of plastic, and each day the NTTI team climbs into the river to collect it, intercepting tonnes of plastic before it reaches the ocean. The plastic is then transported to their sorting stations and transferred to recycling centers to be processed correctly.

Stacks of dirty striped burlap sacks filled with material, labeled signs hanging on a wooden beam

Waste Management

The team also collects, sorts, and removes waste from Bangka and the surrounding islands, where waste removal infrastructure is limited, while simultaneously organizing beach clean-ups that remove plastic that has already made its way into the environment.

Group of kids on a wooden dock by clear water, wearing snorkels and swimwear, posing for a photo under a blue sky.

Education

NTTI knows that any long-term solution must start with integrated approaches that include education. They have started a program called School on the Beach, which takes local children out of the classroom and into nature, where they can experience and learn about the fragility and importance of the marine ecosystem. This program has been extremely successful and is sparking long-lasting change within the community.

Through your donations, NTTI can continue to expand its efforts to keep the Coral Triangle, its marine life, and its communities safe from the effects of plastic pollution.