The revellers making Trinidad's carnival more sustainable

From dazzling costumes to exuberant parties, Trinidad's carnival is often dubbed "the greatest show on Earth".

But some of its elements are not exactly eco-friendly and the festivities are estimated to produce 3.4 tonnes of waste every year according to Carnicycle, a local initiative aiming to make festivities more sustainable.

Danii McLetchie, who co-founded Carnicycle in 2018, says that while carnival "is a big part of our culture" it also has a very negative environmental impact "from the events, to the textiles, to costumes" used by the masqueraders, spectators and vendors taking part in the annual parade on the two days preceding Ash Wednesday.

Producing and transporting just a single carnival costume bra can generate approximately 37.68kg (83lb) of CO2 emissions, Carnicycle estimates based on calculations made using an online tool provided by Swedish tech company Doconomy.

In what Kaleen believes is a testament to the work they have been doing, they were asked to sort the sprawling closet of Machel Montano, a musician known as the "King of Soca" and a superstar in the carnival world.

"Clothes are personal things, especially for somebody like Machel who has so many big moments tied to his pieces," Kaleen explains.

After sorting through Machel's shoes and clothes, 2nd Closet organised a two-day pop-up shop, giving people a chance to buy items worn by Machel on stage and in his music videos.

"People came with pictures, and were like 'I'm looking for this piece'," Aliyah recalls of fans' enthusiasm for the second-hand items.

But costumes and outfits are not the only items being recycled to make Trinidad's festivities more environmentally friendly.

At Fete with the Saints, a party many regard as one of the best of Trinidad's carnival, food is eaten with biodegradable wooden cutlery and the drinks are poured into reusable cups.

The organisers of the fete - a fundraiser for one of Trinidad and Tobago's top secondary schools – also hire "bin detectives" to ensure patrons properly sort and dispose their rubbish for recycling.

It is estimated that this year the bin detectives helped to more than double the amount of recyclables captured, compared with the two previous years combined.

"Over the past three years we've actually prevented over one million single-use plastics from entering the landfill, I think maybe over five tonnes of glass," says Vandana Mangroo, co-founder of Close the Loop Caribbean, a company which started working with the organisers of Fete with the Saints in 2023 to make the event more sustainable.

Joseph Hadad, co-chairman of the party's organising committee, says that those behind the event knew that their efforts to make it greener would "add some layer of costs and more labour". But he is adamant "it worked" and insists that the party spirit has not been dampened.

These green efforts are being welcomed by patrons such as Roland Riley, who hailed it as "a good initiative by Fete with the Saints to go that route".