But when the global pandemic hit in 2020, the hotels, restaurants, transportation and related businesses were forced to shut down.

This caused massive unemployment, leaving families struggling even to eat.

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In Bali, rice is the staple, with people eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This gave Made a very interesting idea. His vegetarian restaurant already buys rice from local farmers.

Made Janur Yasa's restaurant, "Moksa" photo: elami.co

But Bali's beauty has been endangered by the huge buildup of plastic on its ocean front, its lakes, streams, streets and even its rice paddies.

So Made began his non-profit Plastic Exchange, where the people of Bali could collect this plastic and trade it for rice.

Plastic Exchange photo: channelnewsasia.com

Starting in May of 2020, he held the first exchange in his local village. It was a great success and the concept quickly spread to other villages across Bali.

Villages now hold community exchanges once a month in which villagers bring their bags of plastic and receive their rice.

To date thousands of families have delivered nearly 500 tons of plastic for recycling. The program is such a success, that the eye sore and pollution of plastic in Bali is disappearing.

"My goal is to spread this movement from island to island, to Asia and to the whole world," Made told CNN. "I want to inspire people that everything is possible."

Editor's Note: To learn more, cnn.com and plasticexchange.org

In the next KazanToday: An 11-year-old boy who helps hard-to-place shelter dogs find homes