32 tonnes - A taka taka exhibition.

Angelika Schuetz and her team of beach cleaners in Lamu, Kenya have been relentless over the years in their determination to keep their beaches clean. Like many islands around the world, Lamu is a victim to the global currents depositing plastic debris from all over the world on the stretches of golden sand to add to the mass of single use plastic discarded by its resident community. Sadly, finding a cost-effective, environmentally friendly waste management system on an island like Lamu is much more complicated than on the mainland and we all know how big a problem that remains despite the recent ban in plastic bags. We still have a long way to go!

Angelika and team have been a huge inspiration to the Flipflopi Project. Over two months, the Lamu team collected 32 tonnes of rubbish (mostly plastic) on a 12km stretch of beach on the island. That is the equivalent of 30 average saloon cars!

Part of the plastic trash will be used in an exhibition running from 21st - 25th September at the Lamu Fort. The artistic and interactive exhibits are part of an effort to raise awareness about the consequences of marine pollution and our reliance on plastic. The exhibition will also feature local artisans who have found creative ways to reuse plastic.

Lamu’s students are receiving curated Power Point presentations complementing the exhibit, which they will then visit with their schools. The presentations are challenging the kids to think critically and creatively about their own behavior that contributes to plastic pollution. The students are invited to compete for recognition in an essay competition.

Cleaning our environment and raising public awareness is a big part of the #plasticrevolution to end single use plastic and save our planet. It's an honour to share this amazing endeavor in light of the International Coastal Clean Up Day on 16th September. The Watamu Marine Association and partners on the north coast of Kenya and so many others all over the Kenyan coast are coming together where all the plastic trash and discarded flipflops will go towards building the world's first 60ft recycled plastic dhow!

We are determined to help the Lamu community get the rubbish off the island and have found support to transport the rubbish to Malindi but we still need help to sort it, shred it and recycle all the plastic into parts of the Flipflopi Boat so please do contact us if you would like to help.

Thank you Angelika and team for keeping our beaches clean!