By Cahyo Kurniawan | Project Manager and Coordinator of FMPL
This year reminded us that protecting a small island is not a straight line forward.
Just as we reached one of our biggest milestones, the ground shifted beneath our feet.
A Moment of Hope
At the end of the year, we received vital support from KKP (Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries) and BKKPN (Department of Gili Matra Marine Protected Area Management), who financed the installation of three incinerators for Gili Trawangan.
For the first time, the island had real infrastructure capable of:
• Treating daily residual waste,
• Reducing the growing landfill,
• Protecting the reefs, beaches, and waters that sustain this community.
For our team, this felt like hope becoming real.
Then Everything Stopped
Before the incinerators could be fully installed, tested, and operated, political and land disputes led to the sudden closure of the landfill.
No transition.
No alternative site.
No time to prepare.
Overnight, waste had nowhere to go.
What This Looks Like on the Ground
Since the closure, the sorting center has been overwhelmed.
Every day:
• Waste continues to arrive,
• Space is limited,
• Systems are stretched beyond capacity.
The FMPL team shows up anyway.
They manually sort waste for hours, under pressure, heat, and uncertainty — knowing that only a small number of businesses and residents currently separate organic and non-organic waste at the source.
Without separation, even the best technology cannot succeed.
Still, the team keeps going. Because stopping is not an option.
Why This Moment Matters
This is the fragile space between collapse and transformation.
Infrastructure alone will not save the island.
People, systems, and sustained support will.
To move forward, we must rebuild — not just machines, but an entire waste system.
How Your Donation Helps
Your support right now directly helps us stabilize the island and build something stronger:
Keep the Incinerators Running
• Each incinerator needs 12 trained staff to operate 24/7.
• Donations fund salaries, training, and safety equipment.
• Without operators, the machines cannot function.
Create a Home for Organic Waste
• Organic waste makes up a large part of daily trash.
• Your donation helps us purchase land for composting and organic waste treatment.
• This reduces pressure on incinerators and prevents organic waste from rotting in open areas.
Support the Frontline Team
• Additional staff for sorting, collection, and monitoring.
• Better working conditions for a team that has never stopped showing up.
Change Habits at the Source
• Community education and enforcement for waste separation.
• Support for businesses willing to do the right thing.
• A system that works because people understand and participate.
Why We Still Believe
This year has been hard.
But it has also shown us something powerful:
• The community cares.
• The team is committed.
• The solution is possible.
With your continued support, this crisis can become the moment Gili Trawangan truly shifts toward zero waste — not just in words, but in daily practice.
Thank you for standing with us when progress is difficult, messy, and deeply human.
By Cahyo and Delphine | FMPL and Gili Eco Trust Project Managers
By Cahyo Kurniawan | FMPL Project Manager
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