Bye Bye Plastic Bags
Support this projectHow did single-use plastic bags end up being banned in Bali? It’s the story of two young Balinese girls who inspired an international youth movement when they created Bye Bye Plastic Bags.
Melati and Isabel Wijsen were just 12 and 10 years old when they asked themselves what young people could do to protect the planet. With no proper waste management system on Bali, they realised that huge amounts of plastic ended up in natural ecosystems including oceans, beaches and rivers. In 2013, they founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags (BBPB), which has become one of biggest youth movement fighting plastic waste.
Showing how young people can drive change, the sisters have inspired the creation of more than 50 BBPB teams around the world. Run by young people, these teams offer different ways of getting involved, from cleaning beaches to educative workshops and communicating about single-use plastic.
Fostering sustainable development
After 6 years of campaigning by BBPB, single-use plastic bags have now been banned in Bali. Convinced that change comes from young people, the sisters are committed to raising awareness about sustainable development. They have also created a social enterprise to enable local women to produce alternative bags. Each year, they also organise the symbolic Bali’s Biggest Clean Up, which mobilises more than 60,000 people across 430 sites on the island and has collected more than 155 tons of plastic.
Bye Bye Plastic Bags is reaching more and more countries. Melati and Isabel are also launching a new project, YOUTHTOPIA, to mobilise young people through short peer-to-peer programs guided by the 17 UN SDG’s.
To keep fighting plastic pollution, BBPB is always on looking for new volunteers. Would you like to get involved?
Similar projects
Advocacy and Water Protection in Native California Curriculum
How can environmental issues be addressed in California if native people are ignored? The Advocacy and Water Protection in Native California program aims to make their voices heard through education reform.
Ocean Purpose Project
What if we turned waste into fuel? An Indonesian social enterprise has created a unit to transform plastic into hydrogen.
Project Maji
The Maji project was designed to provide sustainable access to clean water in Africa. An innovative model, in its design and management, of a solar powered water kiosk.
Support the project
To get involved in a collective adventure:
Discover meaningful projects
Choose your preferred project to embark on
Contact the project owner
Discover inspiring initiatives around the world and find innovative solutions
Duplicate the proposed sustainable solutions
Establish new partnerships
Find inspiration and discover new ideas
Connect and share experiences with other innovators around the world
Contact us to propose your project
Discover the innovations carried out by citizens in your CSR fields of action and in the regions of your choice
Support through funding or by providing skills in your areas of expertise
Contact the project leaders
Find inspiring stories of engaged citizens to enrich your editorial work
Help local projects increase their impact and make them known to your audience
Contact the project managers
Discover citizen initiatives around the world
Invest in local projects aligned with your strategy for sustainable development
Contact the project managers