Waste leakage

A 2022 baseline survey carried out in Lamu showed the scale of the challenge when it comes to managing plastic waste.

Among those interviewed:

• 46% reported dumping their plastic waste,
• 40% said they sometimes burned it,
• 17% said they bury it in the ground.
• 1% used it for fuel, which is worrying because burning plastic is very harmful to health.
• Just 4% reused plastic or sold it to collectors.

Many people manage their waste in more than one way, often depending on convenience or what’s locally possible.

But without a clear system for sorting, collecting and recycling plastic at the household level, most waste ends up in the environment polluting land, water, and air, and affecting people’s health.

And once plastic escapes into the environment, collecting it becomes far harder and more expensive.

At the Flipflopi Project, we focus on preventing plastic leakage in the first place.

We collect plastic directly from the community, helping reduce pollution before it spreads.

We know that recycling alone won’t solve the plastic crisis.

But we also know that, right now, many communities lack the tools, infrastructure, and resources to do things differently.

While we continue to advocate for laws that reduce unnecessary plastic production and consumption, our goal is to create a temporary solution to manage plastic waste arising in our community and washing up on the shore.

We collect and recycle what we can – turning plastic waste into useful, durable products that reflect local heritage and innovation.

It’s not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction, rooted in what’s practical and possible today.