Project Pick Up is our global program that is dedicated to assist and aid under-resourced communities across the World

The Trash Punx have partnered with Sabore Ole Oyie, Maasai elder and warrior, of Kenya, to clean up the town of Ewaso Ngiro, outside of Nairobi. Ewaso Ngiro is a small town approximately 60 miles from the famous Maasai Mara National Reserve and is the lifeblood for thousands of people who attend the weekly livestock and produce market where they buy their food. the challenge this town faces is they have no trash service, no trash bins and no means of trash disposal. The trash is thrown on the ground and the town is filthy. Follow along with The Trash Punx as they travel 10,000 miles from the San Francisco Bay Area to Kenya!

March 2025 - Update

The Trash Punx are back from Kenya — and we’re thrilled to share something monumental with you.

Two years ago, we traveled to the small, vibrant town of Ewaso Ngiro to lead a massive cleanup. The town, nestled just outside the Maasai Mara National Reserve, had no trash bins, no waste pickup, and no way to manage the plastic piling up in streets, markets, and open land. In just two days, with the help of hundreds of locals, we collected over 31,000 pounds of trash. But the work couldn’t end there. (Project Pick Up Film)

That cleanup was only the beginning...

We met a local man named Issac during that first trip — someone who stepped forward and asked if he could get tools to clean up his side of town. That single question sparked something big. It was exactly what we hoped to ignite: local stewardship. And it confirmed something we already suspected — Ewaso Ngiro didn’t just need a clean-up, it needed a long-term solution.

Fast forward through over a year of planning, late-night Zoom calls, and collaboration with Sabore’s Well and students from KU Leuven in Belgium — and we’re proud to announce: The Upcycling Center is open!

This is the first grassroots facility of its kind in the region. We brought in industrial equipment — shredders, extruders, and heat presses — to transform the plastic waste littering the town into something practical, beautiful, and full of purpose.

The first creations? Colorful animal figures made from discarded bottle caps — playful, meaningful shapes that are now being turned into vibrant keychains. (Think Play-Doh meets purpose.) These are just the beginning.

Issac, now leading the local effort with a small but mighty team, is exploring how to turn different types of plastic into roof tiles, fence posts, and more — creating jobs, improving public health, and reducing pollution at its source.

This center represents more than recycling. It’s a model for community-driven conservation — where environmental change begins with local leadership, creativity, and care.

We can’t wait to share more stories from this evolving journey — and soon, we’ll introduce you to the incredible people making it all happen.

Stay tuned for more updates — and thank you for believing in this vision, Asante Sana!

Giving Plastic a Second Life – And a Community a Cleaner Future

By purchasing these products, you’re helping fund a community-driven recycling center that transforms plastic waste into valuable goods. This initiative not only cleans the environment but also creates jobs and inspires a culture of sustainability.

PURCHASE HERE

 2023 Ewaso Ngiro, Kenya Highlights:

  • 900 bags of trash in two days

  • 250 participants the day of the first cleaning

  • 31,500 pounds of trash collected

  • Installation of 26 permanent trash cans

  • Meeting with Chief Officer Environment, Energy, Water, Natural Resources & Climate Change for the County Government of Narok

  • Sabore Ole Oyie will continue leading the efforts to get more trash cans made and partnering with the local community and government

  • We have connected with Ewaso NGiro High School and have found our trash steward Sharon (who dreams to be a journalist) to take the lead on doing more trash events

  • We connected with WildlifeDirect, a Nairobi based conservation NGO and are looking at future programs together

The Trash Punx and Sabore have developed a plan to clean up the town and protect the people, environment and animals

The plan includes:

  • Creating a high school stewardship team

  • Trash pickup incentive programs

  • Town garbage cans

  • Dumpsters

  • Dumpster hauling service to the larger city of Narok for proper disposal

This is an unprecedented opportunity to start a ripple effect of change in this community.

Multiple benefits include:

  • Changing the way the town manages their trash

  • Discarded plastics, metals and other types of trash not only degrade the aesthetic beauty of an area, they can leach harmful chemicals into the environment

  • Health benefits - trash contributes to disease transmission

  • Resolve safety issues for the livestock and the wild animals which inadvertently eat the plastic and other garbage

  • Beautification of the town

  • Resurgence of tourists to the area - the market can be a popular tourist destination, but the filthiness has been a deterrent. It is on the route to the wildlife preserve and would be a financial incentive for the people to keep the town clean as tourism creates resources.

We need your continued support as we continue to build!

Please consider supporting this amazing global cause and making a difference not only for the community and wildlife but for our World, one piece of trash at a time!