Spending money to pick up trash is also a pleasure — the Chufengbi Beach Cleanup Volunteer Holiday has been fully booked for seven consecutive years

The Chufengbi Beach Cleanup Volunteer Holiday launched by the Kenting National Park Administration Office requires participants to pay their own way and offers no souvenirs, but it has been fully booked every year for the past seven years. Many participants say they’ve discovered that spending money to pick up trash can actually be an enjoyable experience. (Photo provided by Chen Xuanwu)

The Chufengbi Beach Cleanup Volunteer Holiday launched by the Kenting National Park Administration Office requires participants to pay their own way and offers no souvenirs, but it has been fully booked every year for the past seven years. Many participants say they’ve discovered that spending money to pick up trash can actually be an enjoyable experience. (Photo provided by Chen Xuanwu)

“Crazy? Actually, we’re smarter than anyone else.” In recent years, as environmental awareness has grown, beach cleanups offering cute little gifts have become surprisingly popular events. However, the Chufengbi Beach Cleanup Volunteer Holiday organized by the Kenting National Park Administration Office, which requires participants to pay their own way and offers no souvenirs, has been fully booked every year for the past seven years—with a return rate as high as 30%. Many participants say they've discovered that spending money to pick up trash can actually be an enjoyable experience.

The Kenting National Park Administration Office stated that Chufengbi is an ecological reserve within Kenting National Park, where public access is not permitted without approval. As a result, it has retained its pristine coastline and natural ecology. Yet, even in this uninhabited area, large amounts of trash washed ashore by ocean currents continue to accumulate. Aside from driftwood, the majority of the waste consists of plastic items originating from Japan, South Korea, and mainland China.

Chen Xuanwu, head of the Nanshen Mountain Management Station, said that when he first stepped into this “restricted area” seven years ago, he was truly shocked by the sheer amount of trash littering the ground. Realizing he couldn’t clean it all up alone, he came up with the idea of organizing a beach cleanup event to invite volunteers and tourists to help. Unexpectedly, even with free shuttle service, no registration fee, and free souvenirs, fewer than ten people signed up.

The following year, he flipped the concept—turning the simple beach cleanup into a paid, two-day, one-night “volunteer holiday” that combined eco-tourism. He admitted he was worried at the time, figuring that if no one was interested when it was free, charging money would be even more hopeless. But he went ahead with hope anyway, and fortunately, it didn’t disappoint. Moreover, it indirectly helped boost the local community economy.

He explained that the beach cleanup volunteer holiday, integrated with ecological tours in communities such as Lide, Jiupeng, Manzhou, Gangkou, and Yongjing, allows participants to learn about the local area while engaging in environmental protection. This dual benefit has naturally won over many tourists. One resident from Kaohsiung, surnamed Chen, has not only attended for seven consecutive years, but also organizes his own group to sign up every year.