A traditional sailing boat, made entirely from plastic trash collected from beaches and towns in Kenya, is set to make its first voyage from Lamu to Zanzibar in Tanzania. Credit: Abdalla Barghash/UN Environment/The FlipFlopi Project
The FlipFlopi dhow is a nine-metre-long sailing boat made from 10 tonnes of discarded plastic. In its 500-kilometre expedition, it aims to engage communities over plastic waste. Abdalla Barghash/UN Environment/The FlipFlopi Project
The team had to pioneer new techniques to craft the various components of the boat—plastic waste was melted, shaped and carved by the team. Photo: UN Environment/The FlipFlopi Project
The boat is covered in colourful sheets of recycled flipflops, which were collected during beach cleanups in Lamu. Photo: Abdalla Barghash/UN Environment/The FlipFlopi Project
The project was founded in 2016 to inform people about the impact of plastic on marine ecosystems. Co-founder, Ben Morison, launched the #Plasticrevolution after seeing the vast amount of plastic on Kenya’s beaches. Photo: Abdalla Barghash/UN Environment/The FlipFlopi Project
The expedition will start in Lamu on January 24, 2019. The boat is expected to arrive in Zanzibar on February 7, 2019. Photo: Jenni Petäjä/UN Environment/The FlipFlopi Project
