Our Story
In early 2017, Dr. Miriam Weber and Christian Lott, marine biologists from HYDRA Marine Sciences, teamed up with scientists from Sam Ratulangi University (UNSRAT) to study bio-degradable plastic in tropical seas, using Bangka Island and the Coral Eye Marine Outpost as their base. During their research, they quickly realised that plastic pollution was severely impacting these fragile marine ecosystems.
They connected with Marco Segre Reinach, marine biologist and owner of Coral Eye, and Anna Clerici, then resort manager. Together, they began analysing waste flows on Bangka Island and exploring practical, locally adapted solutions.
Their findings revealed that around 70% of the plastic waste washing ashore was recyclable and held economic value, yet transportation costs made recovery financially unviable. In response, the No-Trash Triangle Initiative was founded to develop and manage waste-management solutions tailored to island contexts.
Since then, the initiative has continued to grow, addressing plastic pollution by tackling its root causes through locally driven, scalable approaches.
Expanding the model
In 2022, the No-Trash Triangle Initiative entered a new phase of growth. What began as a locally driven community initiative gained international attention, creating opportunities to scale its impact. To support this regional expansion, NTTI established key partnerships with PRLS and CleanHub, enabling improved waste treatment solutions and full operational traceability. That same year, NTTI became a formally registered Indonesian foundation, and Anna Clerici joined the organisation full time, strengthening coordination, strategic planning, and long-term vision. This shift marked a transition from isolated local action to a structured, scalable, and replicable model—designed to be adapted across North Sulawesi and other regions of the Coral Triangle.
Our founding and advisory team: a coalition of ocean lovers who share the vision of eradicating plastic pollution
Dr Miriam Weber, Marine Biologist, Researcher, Networker
Marine biologist with expertise in effects by diverse impacts on the aquatic system and its biogeochemistry. Since 2008 her scientific work focusses on investigating plastic in the environment, mainly biodegradable plastic because it is interesting to understand if new materials could be assessed for an environmental risk assessment. Since more than twenty years she is engaged in teaching and outreach activities to share her knowledge to the broader public. She NTTI supports because she believes in an integrated approach together with engaged people on site as well as world wide.
Christian Lott, Marine Biologist, Researcher, Networker
Marine biologist with expertise in marine zoology, ecology and symbiosis.
Since 2008 he also investigates biodegradable plastic in the aquatic system to develop new testing schemes to measure how long this plastic will take to be eaten by microbes.
Since more than twenty years he is engaged in documentaries in order to transfer and share knowledge to the broader public.
He supports NTTI because it follows a scientific based approach as well as targeting solutions to collet waste at its source.
Andreas Eich, Marine Biologist, Researcher, Media
Marine biologist studying the degradation of biodegradable plastic in the sea and coordinating fieldwork. At NTTI he is responsible for the media content and supports the research projects.
Anna Clerici, Project Co-ordinator
Anna started working at Coral Eye in 2017 as manager of the resort. She soon realised that beautiful Bangka was under serious threat from plastic pollution and so decided to get involved with NTTI. Anna was able to use her creativity to think of innovative ways of getting things done. Putting her people and management skills to good use, she has forged relationships with a number of key partners and has been instrumental in co-ordinating activities on the ground.
Jens Hamprecht Co-Founder and Managing Director of PRLS
Jens has almost two decades of experience in researching and co-creating circular value chains in the global plastics industry. He is passionate to bring people and skills together to find solutions for ocean plastics.
Marco Segre Reinach, Marine Biologist, Owner of Coral Eye
Marco first came to Bangka Island in 2009. Working with three fellow marine biologists, he set up Coral Eye, originally as a marine outpost - a place where universities and students could exchange ideas and develop their projects. In 2013, he decided to open the outpost up to tourists. However, he still maintains Coral Eye's dedication to science, hosting researchers and students. As a founding member of NTTI, he used his connection to the island to create a community of do-ers and enablers. His support is vital to the ongoing success of the Initiative.
Gráinne Regan, Marketing Lead
Gráinne has worked in marketing for seven years, with experience managing a range of partnerships and campaigns across different mediums. She has held various marketing and partnerships roles for a number of large companies in London. Her passion for the environment led her to volunteer with NTTI in summer 2019, whilst on a year's career break. Since then, she's supported NTTI's efforts to spread the word about their root cause solutions approach to protecting the Coral Triangle.
Our NGO board is made of up of passionate environmentalists from across North Sulawesi
Amelia Tungka, Co-chairperson
Amelia has long been a supporter of the No-Trash Triangle Initiative. A passionate diver and influential Manado businesswoman, Amelia has been instrumental in setting up our logistics network. She founded CV Daur Sinar Gemilang (DSG) in 2018, which processes plastic from across the region for recycling. Read more about the work we’re doing together here.
Angelique Batuna, Co-chairperson
Owner of Murex Dive Resorts, Angelique has been passionate about marine conservation her whole life. Murex have long been a leader in pushing for more sustainable tourism practices and we look forward to gaining valuable insight from Angelique as we roll out our resort partner programme across the North Sulawesi region.
Arjun Langitan, Co-chairperson
With 22 years experience as a dive guide, Arjun has seen first hand the impact of plastic pollution on the Coral Triangle’s reefs. We look forward to working with Arjun as he supports our expansion and engagement of local communities. Based on Bunaken, Arjun will help us take our model to new island communities beyond Bangka.
Andrew Palit, Treasurer
Andrew is a local entrepreneur who works closely with local government as a member of special staff for the Vice Mayor of Manado. We hope to tap into his experience and network to grow our relationships with local businesses and government bodies as well as influencing young people across the region.
Mila Lahiwo, General Secretary
With a Bachelor of Law and years of experience working as secretary for Megamas Group, Mila is the perfect candidate to serve as our General Secretary. Mila has been instrumental in leading the administrative required to get our foundation status. She also has many years of guiding businesses in their environmental practices through her time spent serving on Megamas’ environmental leadership team.
Rena Novena, Advocate and Local Outreach
A passionate environmentalist, Rena has worked with the No-Trash Triangle Initiative for a number of years through her involvement with SeaSoldier Sulawesi Utara. Rena was involved in getting our local education programme off the ground and we look forward to continue working with her as we expand our local outreach.