“I saw plastics floating in the ocean” takes on a whole new meaning with this invention. Some very innovative minds in Kenya decided to inspire people to upcycle single-use plastics by creating a small ship out of discarded SUPs, and hence, making plastics float in the ocean, quite literally.

Ten metres in length and 7 t in weight, the “Flipflopi” has planks made of recycled and extruded plastics, and is covered in sheets made from 30,000 old flip-flops! The dhow was been built in Lamu Town, one of the oldest Swahili settlements in East Africa, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The colourful dhow set sail from Kenya on Lake Victoria in the first week of March 2021 with some of the country’s environment activists on board. The plan for these activists’ journey is to meet community leaders, business leaders and school children in three countries – Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – to spread awareness about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment. The last we heard, Flipflopi was passing through Bukabo, Tanzania. So, the next time you plan to throw old flip-flops away, have a long, hard think about their potential.