Photojournalist alarmed after documenting 'dystopian' scene along popular beaches: 'I could not believe what I was seeing'

We've all heard that there is a lot of plastic trash in the ocean. However, it can be hard to envision the true extent of the problem. 

Celebrated photojournalist Sean Gallagher traveled to Bali to capture shocking photographs documenting the region's harrowing seasonal battle with marine plastic, and he shared his story with PetaPixel.

What's happening?

During the rainy season, Gallagher said, water floods Bali's polluted rivers and pushes all the plastic from the banks downstream to the ocean. There, waves and tides pick it up and throw it onto the beaches.

Even having seen photos of what locals called the "worst year yet" on social media, Gallagher was shocked. 

"As I walked out towards one of Bali's most famous beaches, I could not believe what I was seeing," Gallagher said. "As far as the eye could see was plastic. Waves and waves of plastic, ankle-deep, covering the beach."

Gallagher spent time documenting all of the trash, as well as the people trying to clean it up and the animals being affected by the garbage. 

Why is this plastic pollution important?

Bali is a popular tourist destination. Trash in this once pristine environment could affect people's willingness to travel there. That in turn could impact tourist revenue, which affects the ability of residents to make a living.

Meanwhile, many people in the region rely on the ocean for their food. Seafood contaminated with plastic isn't as healthy and safe for humans to eat.

The animals themselves also suffer from eating or getting tangled in this trash.

The problem extends far beyond Bali. The world's oceans are contaminated with plastic trash, and people around the world are impacted by its effects on tourism, trade, food, public health, and the environment.

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What's being done about plastic pollution in Bali?

Gallagher was able to document a local NGO working on the problem.

"They were organizing a mass clean-up activity, bringing together local people, volunteers, and NGO workers to try to clean up the plastic that lay on the beaches," he said. 

Gallagher captured portraits of the people involved, in the hope of demonstrating the stark disparity between what should be a stunning beach scene and the handfuls of plastic they had grabbed. 

"I started to photograph them in this strange dystopian scene," Gallagher continued. "Tourists posed for selfies amongst the plastic, cropping out the plastic in the frames to make sure they still captured the idyllic sunset behind them."

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