The revellers making Trinidad's carnival more sustainable

Trinidad and Tobago's Carnival, renowned for its vibrant costumes and lively parties, is often dubbed "the greatest show on Earth." However, some elements of the Carnival are not environmentally friendly, with an estimated 3.4 tons of waste generated by the annual celebrations, according to local sustainability initiative Carnicycle. This highlights the need for more sustainable practices within the festivities.

Carnicycle co-founder Denielle McClean states that while Carnival is "a significant part of our culture," it also has a very negative impact on the environment, including the event itself, textiles, and the costumes used by masqueraders, spectators, and vendors in the annual parades leading up to Ash Wednesday. Carnicycle estimates that producing and transporting the bra portion of a Carnival costume generates approximately 37.68 kg of carbon dioxide emissions, based on calculations using an online tool provided by Swedish tech firm Doconomy.

Denielle and her team are working to have this estimated data verified by a third party. She states that with thousands of masqueraders participating in the parades each year, the emissions are concerning. To reduce these emissions, Carnicycle has launched a recycling program, collecting unused costume pieces that would otherwise be discarded or burned by masquerade bands, as these bands adopt new costume designs each year.

Carnicycle has also set up recycling bins in hotels and other locations so that discarded costumes can be repurposed. Denielle told the BBC: "Up until last year, we collected about 10,000 pieces of costume material." She described the arduous task of completely dismantling costumes by the truckload to salvage feathers, beads, and other materials for future use. These recycled materials are sold to costume designers, rave enthusiasts, and those in the burlesque industry, who save money by buying secondhand.

Carnicycle also rents out large backpacks, a popular part of Trinidadian Carnival costumes. These can cost as much as $700 (GBP 550), depending on the size. Denielle explained that they came up with the idea after hearing revelers complain that the backpacks were not only expensive but also very heavy. "I spent so much money, but it's heavy, and by lunchtime I want to throw it away," Denielle recalled people saying. Carnicycle rents the backpacks to masqueraders long enough for them to pose for photos but spares them the burden of carrying them during the parade.

Denielle and Carnicycle's co-founder, Luke Harris—who both have full-time jobs in addition to their environmental initiative—are not the only ones working to make Trinidad Carnival both fun and environmentally friendly. Attorney-at-law Aaliyah Clarke and fashion designer Karine Sanoyes have started a side hustle called 2nd Closet—a pop-up thrift store where people can buy and sell secondhand costumes. The pair also make video tutorials offering tips on how to repurpose costumes into swimwear and outfits for other occasions.

Aaliyah told the BBC that this was the first time she was doing something for herself: "After I finish with my costume, I would take it apart, right down to the wire, and figure out how to turn it into something that I can wear outside of Carnival." Now, she is sharing her ideas in video snippets the two millennials call "Tipsy Tuesday." They also offer closet organizing services, including coming to someone's home to sort through unwanted clothes to rescue items suitable for sale in their pop-up thrift store.

Karine believes it's a testament to the work they're doing that they were asked to organize the extensive wardrobe of Machel Montano, a musician known as the "King of Soca" and a superstar in the Carnival world. "Clothing is personal, especially for someone like Machel, who has so many significant moments tied to his outfits," Karine explained. After sorting through Machel's shoes and clothes, 2nd Closet organized a two-day pop-up shop giving people the opportunity to buy items Machel had worn on stage and in music videos.

Aaliyah recalled the fans' enthusiasm for the secondhand items, "People were coming with pictures saying, 'I'm looking for this outfit.'" But costumes are not the only items being recycled to make Trinidad's celebrations more environmentally friendly. At Fete with the Saints, considered by many to be one of the best parties during Trinidad Carnival, food is eaten with biodegradable wooden cutlery, and drinks are poured into reusable cups.

The party's organizers—a fundraising event for one of Trinidad and Tobago's top secondary schools—also employ "bin detectives" to ensure patrons properly sort and dispose of waste for recycling. It is estimated that bin detectives helped capture more than double the amount of recyclables this year compared to the previous two years. Vandana Mangroo, co-founder of Close the Loop Caribbean, said: "Over the past three years, we've actually stopped over a million single-use plastics from going to the landfill, and I want to say probably over five tons of glass." The company began working with the organizers of Fete with the Saints in 2023 to make the event more sustainable.

Joseph Haddad, co-chair of the party's organizing committee, said those behind the event knew that the efforts they were making to make it more environmentally friendly would "add some cost and more labor." But he insisted "it's working" and maintained that the spirit of the party had not been affected. These green efforts have been welcomed by patrons like Roland Riley, who praised it as "a good move for Fete with the Saints to take this route."