A traditional sailing boat solely made of plastic waste collected from beaches and communities in Kenya will make its maiden voyage from Kenya on the 24th of this month to Zanzibar, Tanzania.
The boat is expected to arrive in Zanzibar on the 7th of February.
The 500 kilometer expedition will see the boat stopping in communities along the coast to educate them to change their minds about plastic waste.
The nine metre boat, named “Flipflopi”, was made from ten tonnes of recycled plastic and 30,000 discarded flipflops, known in Ghanaian pallance as “Charlie wote”.
The boat named “Flipflopi” was launched in September last year, during the World Clean Up Day in Kenya.
The maiden expedition to Zanzibar is supported by the UN Environment’s Clean Seas global campaign on plastic pollution. The expedition will create the opportunity to engage local communities along the East African coast about marine pollution and what can be done about it.
After coming across pieces of flip-flops, floating in the Indian Ocean, Ben Morrison, a co- founder of the project, researched their effect on the environment and what other uses could be found for them.
He then teamed up with a renowned Kenyan boat builder, Ali Skanda and a team of like- minded volunteer, to construct the boat in less than three years.
The Flipflopi is addressing the production of single – use plastics and the fact that eight million tonnes of plastics enter the ocean each year. In recognition of the projects achievement, Ali Skanda has been awarded the highest civilian award in Kenya.
After the expedition, the boat will be transported from Mombassa to Nairobi, where it will be exhibited at the 4th UN’S Environment Assembly, in March.
The Acting Executive Director of the UN, Joyce Msuya has said the boat is a living proof of the need to rethink of the way we manufacturer, use and manage single- use plastics.
Story by: Joyce Gyekyi
