A fancy transformation of a lung slipper...Contributing to the environment and the local economy

[Anchor]
Plastic waste causes environmental pollution during disposal and seriously destroys marine ecosystems when it enters the ocean.

In Kenya, Africa, plastic slippers that fix their front feet account for the largest portion of marine litter,
Social enterprises that contribute not only to environmental purification but also to the local economy are attracting attention by
recreating waste slippers as works of art.

Reporter Shin Dong-wook reports.

[Reporter]
a vast beach with beautiful scenery,

If you look closely, you can see various plastic wastes that have flowed in and out of the river.

Especially, slippers in the form of fixing the front feet are often found.

About 90 tons of lung slippers are found every month in the waters near Kenya alone.

[Solia Arasha / Kenya environmental expert] Actually Kenya has a big problem with waste management. It generates about 20,000 tons of waste every month, equivalent to about 8 million tons per year. Among them, 10 to 24 percent of plastic waste is not recycled and is eventually dumped in landfills or dumps, often flowing into the sea.]

Since 2006, there have been social enterprises that solve the problem of waste plastic, which is difficult for the government to solve, in a unique way.

These artworks, with their colorful colors and unique shapes, are all made of discarded slippers.

Woodworking sculptors create works and use the remaining pieces as mattress materials to recycle 100% of the waste.

Every week, more than a ton of waste slippers are recycled into art and sold in zoos, aquariums, and museums.

[Francis Muatua / Lung Slipper Sculptor] I used to work with wood, but the government banned logging, so I switched to this art using lung slippers. This work is a really special and wonderful experience.]

Corporate activities not only help protect marine ecosystems, but also help address local unemployment.

More than 1,200 residents were hired, including sculptors and people in charge of collecting lung slippers,

We contribute to the local economy by providing the money needed to educate our children or buy land and livestock through various employee welfare programs.

[Caroline Wanjiru / Local resident] I work cleaning lung slippers. This company really helped me a lot. I'm a breadwinner with one child, and this has allowed me to support him.]

Kenyan social enterprise in a virtuous cycle of protecting the environment and solving community unemployment with works of waste slippers,

After recycling 750,000 waste slippers last year, we set a goal of 1 million this year.

I'm Shin Dong-wook from Nairobi, Kenya.