Trio ventures into upcycling glass bottles for a living
WHAT started off as a hobby has turned into a thriving sustainability initiative for three Victoria Falls-based youths involved in upcycling glass bottles.
The trio upcycles old bottles into water glasses and chandeliers, which they later sell to hoteliers, tourists and individuals in the resort city.
Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value.
For Mr Musawenkosi Chuma, Ms Blessing Ndlovu and Ms Naomi Zimba, upcycling has ushered in an entirely new wave of entrepreneurial innovation. Upcycling has become a treasure trove for the three youths.
With the incredible range of glass items available, their options are only limited by imagination and inspiration.
They started recycling in 2018 as a hobby with the assistance of Africa Albida and Greenlife Africa.
They recycled the bottles for a year, collecting them from hotels, lodges and individuals.
After recycling the trio was funded by Africa Albida to go to Zambia for a workshop where they were taught how to upcycle old bottles and make new products of higher quality.
At the end of their training, the three entrepreneurs were given different machines to help them in their upcycling.
Ms Ndlovu said they chose to upcycle glasses after realising that a lot of glasses were being disposed of in open spaces.
She said since Victoria Falls is a tourist city, they wanted to maintain its cleanliness.
“When something is recycled, it’s broken down into something of lesser quality, which is a process that consumes energy. However, with upcycling, you add value by transforming or reinventing an otherwise disposable item into something of higher quality,” said Mrs Ndlovu.
“Upcycling glasses is not common in our city. We decided to do it because it is a unique project and we are reusing glass by making something more valuable.”
Ms Ndlovu said upcycled glass bottles are a great way to reuse what would otherwise become trash, reducing waste and saving money in the process.
Literally, billions of used bottles are thrown into the garbage every year.
Ms Ndlovu said when they started recycling the bottles, it was a hobby that was meant to help maintain the resort city and its environs clean.
She said after collecting bottles, they started exploring ways of making them useful instead of just throwing them away.
Ms Ndlovu said the Africa Albida organisation offered to fund them to travel to Zambia for training on upcycling glass.
“In November 2019, we went for training in Zambia on how to upcycle glasses. The training was funded by Africa Albida. Petrico Zim donated a machine that bails paper, plastics and plastic bottles while Pure Africa gave us a glass cutting machine that we use when we are cutting the glass bottles making chandeliers and water glasses,” she said.
Africa Albida donated the sanding machine which they use to finish their products.
Ms Ndlovu said they collect the bottles from different hotels and lodges.
“We work as a team and operate in our backyard since we are still in the process of trying to acquire our own space. Upcycled bottles also make unique and memorable gifts for friends and family,” she said.
Ms Ndlovu said they supply chandeliers and glass waters to different hotels around the city and a few individuals.
“We sell the glasses to individuals and some organisations depending on the design that a person would be looking for. The prices also vary depending on the type of product,” she said.
“Our ultimate goal is to reach out to other youths and equip them with skills on upcycling. This is a great initiative as it adds value to a product that is generally perceived as junkie.” — @flora_sibanda