Loji Beach, nestled in a bay in West Java, Indonesia, is prone to plastic pile-ups.

Ocean currents sweep the waste into the bay where it gets trapped in and ends up on the sand.

“There’s no real community living here. There’s not a proper road to the beach, so there’s no local people cleaning it up properly, like you see in other parts of the country,” said Edu Ponces, a Barcelona-based photographer.

Indonesia is one of several Southeast Asia nations that have tightened their rules for plastic waste imports as they try to prevent becoming plastic dumping grounds for countries like China, the US and EU nations.

Indonesia will only allow shipments of products that are fully recyclable, but its neighbor to the north, Thailand, has gone further: It is banning all incoming plastic waste shipments starting in 2025.

At the same time, the European Union will ban the export of plastic waste to developing countries by 2026.

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📸: Edu Ponces/RUIDO Photo