It was back in May 2020. Many out of work hospitality and tourism employees had headed back home. This ‘transmigration’ from the south of Bali back into their respective villages created a population ‘boom’ and a subsequent waste problem with no infrastructure to deal with it.

Made Janur Yasa was worried. He knew that inside every challenge is an opportunity; he weighed up the problem and the needs of the people; he came up with a solution – the Plastic Exchange. First rolling out only within his village, it soon caught on, and since then more than 300 tonnes of plastic have been collected for recycling!! And tones and tonnes of rice have been exchanged!

Kids, parents and grand parents; teenagers, musicians, master carvers. Everyone has pitched in for what has to the best exchange programme to come out of this pandemic.

Many of you might know Made from his vegan restaurant Moksa, in Ubud, others from the Plastic Exchange programme. Those of you who either do or don’t, he has been nominated for CNN hero of the year.

You, as an active member in the Balinese community, get 10 votes per day per email address to vote for Made. So please get online and vote, and get your friends to vote online, EVERY DAY and show Made the appreciation we all feel for his society-altering, inspirational brainwave!!

VOTE: https://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/vote/10/

DONATE: gofundme.com/f/made-janur-yasa-plastic-exchange

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