Here are two guys I worked with in northern Benin recently. They have unusual footwear:

Yes, these are shoe/sandals/flip-flops (call them what you like) which are made out of old car tyres!! They look slightly Peter Pan-esque from a distance, but they’re certainly tough enough for rough African roads. Furthermore, it’s a good bit of recycling and they’re cheap. Have a closer look:

In West Africa, anything that can be re-used is. There’s a guy comes down our street and sifts through our dustbin every day. When I first saw it happening I felt like saying “Oi, mate! Get outa my bin!” (but restrained myself). The guard at the end of our street just said: “A chacun sa manière de gagner sa vie.” (Roughly translating as: Everyone has a right to their way of earning a living). Still, I think these shoes are cool – maybe they could catch on as environmental footwear back home…