Communities turn plastic, textile pollution into livelihoods

Women collect important items from Nairobi River that passes through the Korogocho slum area. [Stafford Ondego, Standard] Kenya produces between 0.5 million and 1.3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, but only about eight per cent is recycled. The rest is dumped, burned, or leaks into the environment, choking rivers and piling up on beaches. Along the country's 1,400-kilometre coastline, this pollution translates into an escalating crisis for marine ecosystems and the blue economy, which is worth more than Sh400 billion annually in fisheries, tourism, and related sectors. For communities in Lamu and Pate islands, the problem is visible in their daily lives. Every day, Abubakar Khalid makes his rounds through the sandy paths of the village on Pate Island, walking alongside Abdul Karim Baki, a longtime resident. They buy plastic collected overnight and engage households on the dangers of plastics and textiles choking the ocean. Community members rally neighbours to surrender bottles, bags, and discarded fabric that would otherwise end up in the sea. Collection points The effort stretches across other villages on the island, where men, women, and children take part in similar routines, gathering plastic waste and piling it at central collection points. From there, the loads are ferried to Lamu Island, where they are sorted and prepared for recycling. "When I was growing up, we didn't know that plastics affected our ocean. Back then, the sea was clear, the fish were plenty, and tourists came for its beauty. Now we see piles of bottles, broken containers, and even torn clothes washing up with the tide. But instead of giving up, we have learned to collect and sell them. For many of us, this has become a way to earn a living and send our children to school, even as fishing and tourism decline," Abdul said. He added that since 2023, the island has breathed new life into areas once scarred by informal dumpsites. Many of these spaces have been reclaimed-some transformed into clean open grounds where children can safely play, while others have been turned into smart agriculture zones. With dumping no longer a common practice, the community now takes pride in maintaining a cleaner and healthier environment. "Once we collect the plastics, we first measure and record them to make it easier to pay the locals who bring them in. After that, we pack everything neatly, ready for transportation to Lamu Island on the boat that comes once a week. We've been able to do this despite little help from the county government, but I believe much more could be achieved if we were empowered to organise sensitisation days and mangrove clean-ups," he said. Plastic collected from villages in Pate is ferried across the sea by boat and combined with waste gathered in Lamu before being taken to the Flipflopi Project's bustling collection centre in Lamu town. Inside the yard, sacks and heaps of colorful bottles, bags, and discarded textiles spill across the floor, waiting to be transformed. Here, Salim Ali and his colleagues roll up their sleeves and get to work, carefully sorting the waste into different categories, separating textiles from plastics, and preparing everything for the long process of recycling. "I never knew plastic waste could be recycled until I joined this project. I've been working here for more than two years alongside my colleagues, and what we do is sort the plastics into different types, clean them thoroughly to remove dirt, separate the colours, and peel off stickers to make sure they are ready for processing. I love this work because it not only helps me earn a living but also keeps my island clean. Most importantly, it has given our community a way to make a living out of what was once just waste," he said. Not all the plastic collected in Lamu and Pate ends up being recycled at the Flipflopi centre. According to David Omoro, the operations coordinator, the team focuses on three types-High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP), and Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) - out of the seven categories of plastics. HDPE, found in items like shampoo bottles and jerrycans, is valued for its strength and durability. PP, commonly used in bottle caps and straws, is lightweight yet firm, while LDPE, found in shopping bags and squeezable bottles, is flexible and easy to mold. "We work with these three because they make strong, reliable products, they don't release toxic or dangerous gases during processing, and they consume less electricity to melt compared to the other types. Plastics like PET and PVC are not recycled here; instead, we send them to Mombasa and Nairobi, where they can be processed appropriately," he said. Tiny flakes After sorting and cleaning, the selected plastics are fed into shredding machines that grind them into tiny flakes. These flakes are then heated and melted into a thick, pliable substance before being molded into solid blocks or planks. From this stage, the material can be cut, shaped, and assembled into strong, reusable items that replace conventional timber and plastic products. "We use the recycled plastics to make a variety of products. At Flipflopi, we've built chairs, school desks, household furniture, and even construction materials. Most famously, we created the Flipflopi dhow, a boat entirely made from recycled plastic, to show the world that waste can be turned into something durable and useful," he said. Plastics and textiles pose some of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems, with devastating effects on ocean life. Discarded fishing nets, plastic bottles, and synthetic fabrics break down into microplastics that are ingested by fish, turtles, and seabirds, often leading to internal injuries, starvation, or death. Sea turtles, for example, mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, while seabirds feed bottle caps and fibers to their chicks, causing blockages and malnutrition. Textiles made from polyester and nylon shed microfibers that pollute coral reefs, reducing their ability to grow and reproduce. In Kenya, an estimated 22,000 tonnes of solid waste are generated every day, of which about 20 percent is plastic, translating to roughly 4,400 tonnes of plastic waste daily, according to ProPak East Africa. Out of this, only eight per cent is recycled, while the rest ends up in landfills, is burned, or leaks into the environment, the same source notes. When it comes to textiles, Kenya produces 150 to 200 tonnes of textile waste daily, according to Lampoon Magazine. In addition, the country imported nearly 900 million pieces of second-hand clothing in 2021, but about 458 million items were unsellable and ended up in landfills, according to the Kohan Textile Journal. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 8 to 11 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the oceans every year, adding to the estimated 75 to 199 million tonnes already circulating in marine environments-a growing crisis that is threatening biodiversity and the livelihoods of coastal communities that depend on healthy oceans. In a bid to tackle the mounting plastic waste crisis, the Flipflopi Project is embarking on a new initiative inspired by the success of Flipflopi Ndogo-the world's first sailing dhow made entirely from recycled plastic. This project goes beyond recycling, taking the iconic plastic dhow on expeditions to raise international awareness about the dangers of plastic pollution, while engaging East African communities in innovative ways to repurpose waste. Prevent pollution According to the co-founder and general manager of the Flipflopi Project, Ali Sanka, in 2023 the team began work on its second dhow, Flipflopi Kubwa, which will be three times the size of Flipflopi Ndogo and constructed entirely from recycled plastic waste using centuries-old boatbuilding techniques. The project is a commitment to pioneering circular solutions that prevent plastic pollution while creating economic opportunities for the local community.

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