Before global leaders take the problem of plastic pollution into their hands this month, Japanese manicurist Naomi Arimoto is putting it into her fingernails.
“I became aware of environmental issues the moment I saw with my own eyes just how much plastic waste was in the ocean,” 42-year-old Arimoto said.
“I thought it was horrifying.”An estimated 22 million tons of plastic waste is dumped into the environment each year, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Arimoto opened a nail salon in her home in 2018 after a spinal condition forced her to give up her career as a social worker, and she’s been using Umigomi, or “sea trash,” to make nail art since 2021.
To turn sea trash into treasure, Arimoto starts by rinsing the plastic in fresh water and then sorting it by color.
Persons:
Naomi Arimoto, Arimoto, “, she’s, ”, Kyoko Kurokawa
Organizations:
International Union for Conservation of Nature, United Nations, Greenpeace
Locations:
Tokyo, cleanups, “, Busan, South Korea, United States