Jakarta, Indonesia : Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and Quiksilver signed an agreement with PT. Garuda Indonesia (Persero), Tbk today in an effort to help reduce the amount of rubbish in Bali coastal areas, as a means to sustain Indonesia’s tourism industry and support economic prosperity for the local communities.

President Director of Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia, Erich Rey, and CEO of Quiksilver South East Asia, Paul Hutson, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CEO of Garuda Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar, officially adding the airline company as the third partner in the Bali Beach Clean Up Program (BBCU), a program that was first established in 2008 by Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and Quiksilver to help solve one of Bali’s alarming issues – too much waste. In 2013 alone, the program has picked up over 1 million kg of waste off the five beaches of Kuta, Jimbaran, Legian, Seminyak, and Kedonganan, adding to the total of over 14 million kg of rubbish collected since the program started five years ago.

Through close partnership with the local leaders of Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Jimbaran, and Kedonganan, Bali’s Beach Clean Up program has quickly developed into a daily activity, committed to cleaning 9,7 km of arguably the most visited beaches in Indonesia. Our program now employs 74 local beach clean-up workers, and investment of 4 tractors, 3 trucks, and placed more than 300 waste bins. There’s also support given to the lifesavers (Balawista Badung) who keep the beaches safe for residents and tourists every day.

As the beaches have become cleaner there has been a noticeable increase in the number of Sea Turtles returning to these beaches to lay eggs. Our program also supports the Bali Sea Turtle Society who has released over 50,000 baby sea turtles back to the wild from Kuta beach since 2008.

“Through this agreement, we believe we can continue our objective to make significant impacts on the efforts to reduce the amount of waste. Our efforts demonstrate a small amount of the work required to make the significant changes in environmental care across the country, however we hope that the program can inspire other organizations in the environment in which they operate,” says Erich Rey.

“By entering into the agreement and signing the MOU of Bali Beach Clean Up, which soon will be followed by eco festival called The Bali Big Eco Weekend on 22nd June with Coca Cola Amatil Indonesia and Garuda Indonesia, we are taking further action to our commitment in demonstrating a sustainable CSR program. By working together hand in hand, we believe our corporate social responsibility work will be impactful to the community, the environment and Indonesia as a whole,” says Paul Hutson.

PT. Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk first took part in the program last December 2012, through donation of two (2) Beach Surf Rakes units that let trash to be swept off the sand instantly, including small items like cigarette butts and other miscellaneous bits of plastics. The company then decided to fully join the program this year, as it remains committed to support many initiatives and programs to preserve the environment. Through this partnership, Garuda Indonesia supports USD 80,000 per year for this program.

“As one of our largest hubs serving Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and numbers of other domestic destinations, Bali has always been an important destination for Garuda Indonesia. Garuda Indonesia feels impelled to take part in the improvement and preservation of this island’s genuine nature, and for that reason, we have carried out various environmental programs,” adds Emirsyah.