Teenage climate activists in Nigeria’s largest city have recycled rubbish into clothes for a “trashoon show” or fashion show made from waste materials.
Chinedu Mugbo, founder of the Green Fingers Wildlife Initiative, a conservation group that works with activists, said the exhibition aimed to raise awareness of the problem of environmental pollution.
Lagos is one of Africa’s most densely populated cities with a population of more than 15 million, and produces at least 12,000 metric tons of waste per day, authorities say.
With lax enforcement of environmental laws, the World Bank estimates that pollution kills at least 30,000 people in this city each year.
This year’s fair came as world leaders just concluded two weeks of UN-led climate talks in Egypt.
In collaboration with activists and young exhibitors, the Green Fingers for Life initiative says it is recycling as much plastic as possible in one community after another.
The initiative organizes waste clean-ups in communities, in sewers and beaches.
The plastic waste is then used to make fabrics for the fashion show.
Covered in red plastic spoons and a cloth, 16-year-old Nathaniel Idegwa said she joined this year’s edition as a model to “make a difference”.
She added, “We can see that we are all affected by climate change, so I really want to make a difference.”
