Welcome to the Flipflopi Toolkit
Practical tools for plastic recovery in peri-urban, shoreline and remote communities
The Flipflopi Toolkit is a free, open resource for people working to tackle plastic pollution in places that are often left out of the conversation – shoreline towns, island communities, small recycling groups, and local governments working far from big-city infrastructure.
It’s based on what we’ve learned from running a recycling programme in Lamu, a small island archipelago off the northern coast of Kenya. Like many places in the region, Lamu faces real challenges – long distances from industry, limited machinery, unreliable power, and very little public waste management funding.
Even so, it’s possible to build something that works. This toolkit shares what we’ve tried, what worked, what didn’t, and what others might want to build on.
Mitigating Plastic Pollution through Heritage Boat Building is implemented by The Flipflopi Project Foundation Ltd. The project was awarded a UK International Development grant to establish a plastic waste collection network in the Lamu archipelago, and a material recovery and production facility to make high end products like artisanal sailing boats and furniture. The grant was made via the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme and was implemented in partnership with the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) providing technical support. Read more about the Toolkit’s journey.
What’s in the toolkit?
The toolkit covers the full plastic journey – from collection to recycling, from building partnerships to changing policy. It includes real-life examples, photos, templates, checklists, and lessons learned.
You can read it start to finish, or just dip into the bits that are most useful to you.
Plastic recycling essentials
Simple, practical guidance on how to get started. These resources cover everything from setting up a recycling space to sorting plastic and running a safe operation – with tips from what we’ve learnt along the way.
- Local outreach – Encouraging participation and awareness.
- Feedstock – Collecting, sorting, cleaning, and solving common problems.
- Recycling – Creating valuable products from recycled plastic.
- Enterprise – Understanding markets and building a business.
- Tracking impact – Measuring environmental, social, and business results.
Scaling your impact
Once your model is up and running, what next? This section shares ways to grow your impact through training, local partnerships, better data, and community or policy engagement, and unlocking new opportunities
- R&D – Improving materials, processes, and techniques
- Training – Sharing knowledge through training and education.
- Partnerships – Working with governments and municipalities to improve waste systems.
- Policymaking – Informing decision-makers on supporting circular economies.
- Campaigning – Lessons from pushing for stronger laws, and how to start.
Who’s it for?
- Community-based organisations and recyclers working at ground level
- Local authorities with limited funds or infrastructure
- National policymakers developing circular economy strategies
- Industry associations and standards bodies interested in practical solutions
- Universities and training providers shaping the next generation of workers
- Technical consultants and advisors supporting waste systems
- Donors and development partners looking for locally proven models
If you’re working to stop plastic pollution in a shoreline, island or peri-urban community, this toolkit is designed with you in mind.
Why Flipflopi?
The Flipflopi Project is best known for building a dhow out of waste plastic and sailing it to raise awareness. But behind that is a long-term effort to build real solutions in a challenging place – recovering plastic, turning it into products, building jobs, and shaping policy.
We’ve pulled those lessons into this toolkit, so others don’t have to start from scratch.
The toolkit was made possible with support from the UK Government through UK International Development, and developed together with engineers, teachers, craftspeople, policymakers, youth groups, and recyclers from across the region.