MY HUSTLE: Creating beauty from a dumpsite

Street urchins regularly rummaging through the Gioto dumpsite and along the Njoro River for waste bottles have found competition in two Form Four leavers.

To both, the dumpsite is the only goldmine they know; it gives them the raw materials to create home arts which they in turn sell and earn themselves a decent living.

The two- Davis Oduor, 29 and Mary Wanja, 21, say they were tired of looking for white-collar jobs and decided to pursue their passion in decorative arts. They found relief in waste bottles emptied of sodas, juices, medicine and others.

After collecting the bottles from the dumpsite and along the rivers, the duo wash them, craft them into impressive shapes, paint them then use adhesives to stick beads onto them.

The results are flower vases and candle stands that appeal to people with an eye for beautiful interior decorations.

They met in church and after sharing the challenges that barred them from pursuing their dream courses, they decided to put their brains together and try entrepreneurship.

LABELLED A MAD MAN

Davis, who was born and brought up in Barnabas, Nakuru County, says people who watched him collect plastic bottles along Njoro river and Gioto dumpsite labelled him a mad man.

“I faced stigmatisation and was labeled a street boy as nobody understood why I woke up at 5am each morning to go from one hotel dustbins to another and along the river collecting the bottles,” says Oduor.

Even friends and family members started avoiding him, and the few that came close to him advised him to get psychiatric help. His parents too raised concern about his behavior that saw him carrying thousands of bottles in sacks.

His trade started with Sh6,000 that he had saved from the salary he earned while working as a waiter at Guardian bus hotel. He started creatively repurposing waste plastic bottles into beautiful flower vases with an aim of protecting the environment from plastic that pollute. He also saw an opportunity to make a decent livelihood.

“With my savings, I bought beads, glue, paint and chains. From the pieces I create now, I earn between Sh250 to Sh1000 depending on the sizes,” he says.

Mr Oduor who started his business in April 2019, has so far sold over 50 pieces of his vases recently to a wedding planner who used his arts as center pieces for wedding décor.

While he focuses on flower vase, Ms Wanja who crafts beautiful lampshades using plastic bottles which she collects from Wangige market in Kiambu, sells hers from Sh1,000 to Sh2,000 as per the size and designs.

“I don’t mind nor focus on what people say about me when they see me going through trash to collect the bottles, I am self-driven and my family has been supportive of my creativity,” she says.

They both agree that most youths have good ideas but lack of resources deters them from implementing their ideas into fruition.

While using social media platforms and referrals to market their pieces, they both hope they would save enough from their venture to enable them continue with their education mainly focusing in arts.

“We hope to open a décor shop and train more youths to be innovative as we are passionate on conserving the environment from the plastic menace, there are also a number of things that the government can do. From running public awareness campaigns, to offering incentives for recycling,” says Mr Oduor.

People drink lots of water each day, and plastic water bottles have become a great way to stay hydrated throughout the day. However, every time someone finishes a bottle, it goes into the trash.

“As much as plastic does not break down easily recycling plastic means that it is still plastic, just being used for a different purpose, we resolved to make something good out of those plastics in the trash ,” says Ms Wanja.

A United Nations report released recently states that over one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute around the world.

These bottles end up in the lakes, rivers and oceans, chocking the ecosystem and in turn leads to extinction of some aquatic species.

On land, they hold water and create breeding places for mosquitoes and other organisms which in turn affect human health.

While plastic bottles may have many valuable uses, humans have become addicted to single-use or disposable plastic that has severe environmental consequences.

Environmental activist, James Wakibia, who has been very vocal on campaign against plastic bottles and bags, maintains that plastic bottles are destroying the environment and it is a relief when innovative individuals re-use and recycle them for items like flower vases.

“Petco Kenya should work closely and empower these people since they are doing the environment and this country a big favor, if left in the environment these plastics clog our rivers, block sewer lines and clog drains beside holding water which becomes habitat for mosquito, “says Mr Wakibia.

But to address plastic crisis wholesomely, Mr Wakibia insisted that the government must enact laws that will regulate plastic industry so that they are compelled by law to commit to protect the environment from their packaging products.

“Bottle deposit schemes should be rolled out all over the country, so that people can return plastic bottles in their possession for some cash, these will greatly reduce amount of plastic littered in the environment,” he adds.