14 photos of how in Kenya sculptures are made from old flip-flops thrown into the sea (15 photos)

How trash turns into a masterpiece.





One innovative group of Kenyans is not only helping to keep beaches cleaner, but they're also creating colorful works of art after the cleanup. And we’re not lying here, the sculptures are really so cool that they could decorate any home or even a shopping center. All of these figures below are made from old flip-flops.

Julie Church founded Ocean Sole inspired by her children



She watched them find old flip-flops on the beach and make toys out of them.





Julie realized that this is a very flexible and pliable material, and you can make anything you want out of it



And so it happened: all the figures from Ocean Sole are created from old flip-flops



A company pays people to pick up beach trash and then turns it into sculptures.



About 1,000 people have already taken part in this cleanup.



This is a good way for locals to earn extra money.



Then the flip-flops need to be washed and dried thoroughly.



And then the resulting material is glued together and given the desired shape.



All that remains is to wash the figure again and send it to the buyer or partner



Ocean Sole produces both small figurines and huge sculptures



Most often they create animals that are endangered



But there are also household appliances: for example, bottle openers or door stops



The company aims to recycle a million flip-flops a year and regularly clean beaches