It’s almost time for flip flop season! Whether I’m on the beach or hitting the grocery store, there’s a good chance you’ll find me in flip flops from late March through early October. That’s why I was a little bummed to learn that flip flops are among the most dangerous and most common pollutants in the world’s oceans. Like plastic bottles and plastic bags, flip flops are particularly harmful because fish and other marine animals eat them resulting in damage to the digestive system, malnutrition or starvation. Plastics also take a very long time to decompose in the cold ocean’s water. Plastic products may breakdown into smaller pieces under the power of ocean waves, but they almost never disappear completely. Can you imagine that one day our beaches could be made up of tiny specks of broken plastic instead of grains of sand? Unfortunately, that future isn’t too far-fetched.
Greg Bockheim, Executive Director of the Virginia Zoo.
Photo Courtesy of Virginia Zoo
To help bring awareness to marine pollution, the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk has partnered with a flip flop recycling company called Ocean Sole. Ocean Sole collects thousands of flip flops that wash up on the coast of Kenya and works with over 100 individuals in Nairobi to transform them from ugly pollutants to works of art. The flip flops are scrubbed, sanded and carved into animal figures for home ware, accessories and souvenirs. The process not only encourages recycling and cleanup efforts along coastal communities in Kenya, but also provides much needed employment to the people of Nairobi. It is also a clear example of the human footprint and just how far it reaches. You can find these flip flop creations for sale in the Virginia Zoo Gift Shop. To support this great cause, drop by the gift shop and check out the recycled flip flop goods from Ocean Sole.
And to learn more about pollution in the world’s oceans, check out NOAA’s marine debris program for comprehensive coverage of marine debris issues.