Cleaning up Diani
A collaboration between Kwale Plastics Plus, the Nomad Marine Education Centre and Plastiki Rafiki – the Diani workshop creates products using recycled plastic collected during weekly beach clean ups. Kwale Plastics Plus together with the local partners organize the cleanups where they collect up to two tons of waste in one day helping to clean this magnificent white sand beach and protecting the marine life from plastic pollution.
Supporting Local Community
Kwale Plastic Plus collects plastic waste directly from the community. They have community-maintained bins placed in select parts of Diani. he bins allow for sorting at the disposal stage, separating collected waste into plastic, glass, metal, and paper. The plastic is then further sorted into different polymers, ready to be recycled into new products using Plastiki Rafiki machines and processes.
The Nomads Marine Education Centre where the workshop is located works closely with local school teachers in Kwale to develop a curriculum that will be incorporated into their school programmes, which include visits to the centre throughout the year. By working with youths within Kwale, the centre hopes to increase awareness of the devastating impact plastics are having by providing communities with both the knowledge and tools to make a real difference.
Turning Beach Plastic into Unique Product
Following the initial training, the workshop in Diani has been busy crafting unique products out of recycled beach plastic using Plastiki Rafiki designs and molds. Their collection includes ocean themed keychains, magnets, beach paddle ball rackets and balls, coasters, jewelry and many more – all made out of 100% recyled plastic that would otherwise be floating in the ocean.
Looking towards the future the workshop is hoping to produce their own molds as well as experiment with new machine designs to increase output and efficiency.
