Location - "Watamu is a small village located on the Kenyan coast, approximately 120 km north of Mombasa and 25 km south of Malindi. The area has developed an international reputation for its pristine white-sand beaches and reef-protected lagoons, which line the Watamu National Marine Park and Reserves, which are the oldest in East Africa and cover over 229 kmsq. The marine protected areas are also recognized internationally as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve."

Groups involved - Watamu Marine Association, IUCN Netherlands, African Fund For Endangered Wildlife Kenya, Friends From Ireland ("A non-profit organisation" "Who take part in community building projects in Africa." )

Background - From the ecoworld Watamu website: "Plastic bags and materials are ingested by endangered sea turtles who mistake them for jellyfish which are part of their natural diet. The turtles eventually die due to internal problems and starvation due to the gut being blocked. Plastics are also ingested by cetaceans (dolphins and whales). Whales, dolphins and whale sharks can all be found in Watamu waters. Plastics smother corals and other marine creatures living on the sea bed, inhibiting them from breathing and feeding and resulting in loss of health or death. The impact of solid waste is deteriorating our local environment resulting in threats to human health and welfare and potentially discouraging tourists from visiting the area. The latter is a serious concern as many coastal communities depend on tourism as their primary source of income and employment."

Aims - The Aims of this project is to combat the waste issue by carrying out "weekly beach clean ups", and then transform this waste into reusable goods at "the recycling centre."

Resources Recycled - Both plastic and glass is being recycled. "The Centre aims to recycle all plastic and glass waste produced by hotels and the general community in Watamu." Work is also being done with "Ocean Sole" in Nairobi "which takes discarded flip-flops and other marine flotsam and recycles these into products ranging from accessories and jewellery to one-off sculptures."

Social impacts - There are plans to develop a visitor centre in order to show teach the public about the benefits of recycling: "We plan to develop the Centre as a demo site for small environmental technologies and best practices. This will include glass blowing, composting, permaculture, bio-fuel briquette making as an alternative to charcoal, bio-gas production from manure and tree nurseries. The site will be open to the public and as a tourist attraction and will also invite government and educational institutions to use it as a case study and centre for learning."

Economic Impacts - "local community artists are making art and crafts from flip flops and plastic waste and selling them to tourist outlets." This is benefiting the local economy.

Environmental Impacts - Has seen a positive impact on marine life, particularly sea turtles. "In September 2015 we collected 3,124kg of marine debris from our beaches which are important sea turtle nesting areas."

References- Watamu.biz. 2009. Watamu Marine Association Website. [online] Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2020].__________Friendsfromireland.ie. 2020. Friends From Ireland – Friends From Ireland. [online] Available at: [Accessed 16 December 2020].