Benin's self-styled 'garbage collector' takes aim at plastic waste

Beninese activist Anas Seko, known on social media as "the garbage collector", is on a mission to raise awareness about plastic waste and environmental protection in his home country in West Africa. Through clean-up campaigns, one-man performances and comical videos on social media, the 25-year-old encourages youths to pick up the plastic bags that litter streets and beaches in his city, Abomey-Calavi, near Benin's commercial capital Cotonou.

Beninese activist Anas Seko, known on social media as "the garbage collector", is on a mission to raise awareness about plastic waste and environmental protection in his home country in West Africa.

Through clean-up campaigns, one-man performances and comical videos on social media, the 25-year-old encourages youths to pick up the plastic bags that litter streets and beaches in his city, Abomey-Calavi, near Benin's commercial capital Cotonou. "In the African perception... it's a bit frowned upon to see someone picking up litter. It seems a bit shameful," said Seko, who has thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter.

"So by calling myself "The Garbage Collector," first of all, it's to say that I'm not ashamed to pick up trash."