While many people were going about their day, something important was happening at the United Nations headquarters in Gigiri. The Public Space Network team joined others from around the world to mark World Cleanup Day on 19th September 2025. The focus? A type of waste we often forget about; clothes. Especially secondhand clothes or as you know them; mitumba. You might be wondering, Why talk about clothes at a cleanup event? Well, the clothes we wear and throw away, are one of the biggest sources of waste today. And the way we manage that waste affects how clean our streets are, how healthy our environment is, and how strong our communities can be. At the event, speakers from Ghana and China shared how their countries are dealing with textile waste.

Their ideas could help Nairobi too! In Ghana, the government is asking clothing companies to take more responsibility. If they sell clothes, they must also help clean up the waste. Ghana is also supporting small businesses that recycle old clothes into new items like bags and shoes. This means fewer clothes dumped in neighborhoods and more jobs for local people. In China, the government is pushing factories to recycle more and pollute less. Big companies are now using old clothes to make new fabric. This helps reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and keeps rivers cleaner. Did you know some brands in China plan to use 25% recycled material in their clothes by 2025. Interesting, right? Thank me later. So, what does this mean for Nairobi? It means we can learn from others. We can support local mitumba sellers and recyclers. We can teach people how to reuse clothes. We can create jobs while cleaning up our city. Now think about this: What happens to the clothes you no longer wear? Could they be part of the solution? Let’s cover this in our next story as we also talk about what happened on the 20th.