Not all is perfect in paradise: when other people’s trash turns up on your island home’s front beach

I hesitated to write this post because I didn’t want to misrepresent Iriomote—a deservedly protected national park and one of UNESCO’s newest World Natural Heritage sites in the Ryukyu Islands, whose pristine landscapes left a profound impression on me.

But islands, contrary to popular belief, are not isolated. They are living, breathing ecosystems, intimately connected to the oceans that surround and sustain them. Their delicate environments are both unique and vulnerable.

During my visit, I couldn’t ignore the jarring contrast between Iriomote’s well-preserved wilderness—a testament to decades of tireless local conservation efforts—and the foreign trash washing ashore on its "paradise lost" beaches. (Forgive the clichés—I’m emphasizing the irony, and since I woke at 5 a.m. to catch the ferry, my thoughts aren’t entirely sharp yet.)

At the Iriomote Island Eco-Tourism Association, one of Japan’s pioneering eco-tourism initiatives founded by a devoted couple who fought to protect the island from overdevelopment, I was stunned to learn just how far this trash had traveled. Labels on plastic bottles revealed their origins: Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and China—some of the world’s worst ocean polluters. While styrofoam (which breaks down into microplastics, infiltrating the food chain) and plastic bottles dominate the debris, I was particularly disturbed to find medical waste among the refuse.

The Association works tirelessly to raise awareness and organize beach cleanups, but their efforts feel like a drop in the ocean against this relentless tide of trash. To make a real difference, their advocacy must reach the source—the communities and industries responsible for the pollution.

If you ever visit Iriomote, stop by the Association. They’re an invaluable resource, and their mission deserves global attention, even more so there is no tourist information center on the island.