On the shores of Lamu Island, off the east coast of Kenya, a 47-year-old man is engaged in a critically important environmental mission. Usmail, as he is known, tirelessly scours the beaches to collect plastic waste that litters the shoreline. The recovered materials are then sold to the Flipflopi Project, a visionary NGO that took off in 2016.
The Flipflopi Project has a noble goal: to transform this bulky waste into useful objects, such as boats and furniture. In Lamu, plastic pollution is a major issue, with mountains of waste accumulating, whether from the waves of the sea or from the carelessness of locals.
For Usmail, this approach has been making sense for some time: “We started collecting plastics a while ago. There was a lot of plastic waste in this area, in Lamu. We collect the plastic waste and sell it to the organization for 16 shillings per kilogram, which is about 16 cents in dollars. We don’t have any work. This is where we find the means to support our children and earn a living.”
The Flipflopi Project’s financial support comes in part from grants from other NGOs, which help buy plastic waste from local residents. The process of transforming this waste is detailed by Ali Skanda, co-founder of the organization: “We go to the community and, thanks to subsidies, we buy from the inhabitants. We have our transport agents who bring us the plastic. After a preliminary sorting, our sorters classify the plastics by type and color. Once separated, we send them to the crusher where they are reduced to flakes, small particles. Then, we obtain pieces of wood of different shapes, round, square, like wood, and it is from these pieces of wood of different colors that we create our furniture.”
In addition to this recycling approach, the Flipflopi Project also conducts research to find innovative solutions to the challenges posed by plastic. Ali Skanda emphasizes, however, that recycling is not without obstacles, because some plastics, modified by additives, become more difficult to recycle. In addition, exposure to the sun can degrade the quality of some plastics, making them less suitable for recycling.
Since 2019, the Flipflopi Project has launched the Flipflopi, presented as the world’s first sailboat made from recycled plastic. This vessel has made significant maritime journeys, such as from the Indian Ocean to Lake Victoria. Subsequently, two other boats have been built, thus concretizing the NGO’s commitment to the circular economy and environmental protection..
In conclusion, the Flipflopi Project embodies an initiative full of meaning and hope, demonstrating that with ingenuity and determination, it is possible to transform environmental challenges into sustainable opportunities. Usmail, with his perseverance, perfectly illustrates how each individual can contribute, at their level, to the preservation of our planet.