Ready, steady, Siladen!
Last week, we officially signed partner agreements with two resorts on Siladen, making this our fourth official location after Bangka, Manado and Gangga. Slowly but surely, we’re expanding our model across the North Sulawesi region, proving that sometimes, simple is best!
By creating a circular economic model and bringing much needed waste collection and management services to remote communities, we’re creating a sustainable and scalable solution which can be replicated around the world. Smaller islands, which can often be “forgotten about” when it comes to waste management, are where our model comes into its own. These, often stunning locations, are seeing first-hand the destruction caused by plastic pollution. Trash on beaches, smothered or bleached coral, dead marine life, reduced fishing yields; you name it, they’ve seen it.
If action isn’t taken, these island communities’ livelihoods could be destroyed. Siladen is no exception to this. Thankfully, both Siladen Resort and Spa and Celebes Divers’ management teams are acutely aware of the need to act. As prominent businesses on Siladen Island, they are acting as role models, signing our partner resort agreement, and taking responsibility for their waste and environmental impact.
Siladen is a small island off the coast of North Sulawesi. Home to just 350 residents, the island is set in a stunning location, and it is a popular destination for diving enthusiasts. The smallest, island in Bunaken National Marine Park, it is a haven for wildlife and features a diverse range of marine animals on the surrounding reefs.
Siladen Resort & Spa
Siladen Resort & Spa has been around for more than 20 years and has grown to become one of the region’s most prominent dive resorts with over 100 staff and 25 rooms. Owned by the Marianelli family and managed by Ana and Miguel Riberio along with Ray Rorimpandey, the resort has long had a focus on protecting the environment. Some of their efforts include launching a turtle conservation program in 2004, following safe boating and diving practices, reducing resort waste, composting organic waste and encouraging guests to treat the island and its surrounds with respect. The relationship with No-Trash Triangle will give Siladen the
“It is only by ensuring that the environment is adequately protected that we can guarantee the long term success of Siladen Resort & Spa.”
Celebes Divers
Celebes Divers have two sites on Siladen, Onong and their newest site, Kuda Laut. Both resorts offer peace and quiet, allowing their guests an escape to nature, with Kuda Laut providing a boutique experience. Also committed to preserving the environment around them, the team have a number of initiatives up and running already, making sure they’re using eco-friendly cleaning and toiletry products, carrying out beach and reef clean-ups. Signing this agreement means the resort will have a long-term solution for its waste.
We have carried out training with both teams now, educating staff about the different types of materials and plastics, explaining how and why it’s important to sort the resorts’ waste. We’ll send a regular boat to Siladen to collect the collected and bagged waste and transport it to Manado for further processing and recycling.
Eventually we hope to establish a sorting station on Siladen so that we can improve the service we offer the resorts, enable more beach clean ups and increase our positive impact on the small island. We are super excited to be entering a new territory with the support of these two resorts. The fees the resorts pay for the waste collection service will contribute to our waste transportation and processing costs as well as our education programme and research.