Before global leaders take the problem of plastic pollution into their hands this month, Japanese manicurist Naomi Arimoto is putting it into her fingernails.

At the beach near her home south of Tokyo, Arimoto carefully sifts sand for tiny bits of plastic that she can mould into decorative tips to put on the false nails at her salon. She came up with the idea after taking part in community cleanups along the coast.

“I became aware of environmental issues the moment I saw with my own eyes…