- Title: Egypt's "three glassy ladies" recycle bottles into art
- Date: 4th September 2018
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (AUGUST 28, 2018) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ARTIST ASMAA KAMAL POLISHING GLASS VARIOUS OF KAMAL ADDING FINAL TOUCHES TO GLASS PRODUCT KAMAL LIGHTING CANDLE PLACED ON ART PIECE MADE OF GLASS KAMAL AND ARTIST, SARAH MOHAMED, CO-FOUNDER OF "THREE GLASSY LADIES" FOR HOME DECORATIONS CLEAN GLASS BOTTLES VARIOUS OF MOHAMED CLEANING GLASS BOTTLE FINISHED ART PIECES MADE OF GLASS / KAMAL AND MOHAMED WORKING IN BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DESIGNER AND MEMBER OF 'THREE GLASSY LADIES', ASMAA KAMAL, SAYING: "I take these bottles and use them. I find a way to make these bottles have permanent use. Not just a decoration; a chandelier or vase for example. (What I do) is find a way to utilise this bottle as a table utensil for example." VARIOUS OF KAMAL AND MOHAMED DRAWING DESIGNS VIEW OF ARTISTS DRAWING DESIGNS THROUGH BOTTLE MOHAMED DRAWING VARIOUS OF FINISHED PRODUCTS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DESIGNER AND MEMBER OF 'THREE GLASSY LADIES', ASMAA KAMAL, SAYING: "These are two bottles placed opposite to one another. I put them inside a mold and placed it inside a furnace. It took the shape of the mold in the oven. It can be used as a fruit basket or a candy." KAMAL AND MOHAMED WORKING VARIOUS OF ARTISTS PLACING BOTTLES ON MOLD KAMAL WALKING CARRYING BOTTLES KAMAL PLACING BOTTLES INSIDE FURNACE ARTIST ADJUSTING FURNACE VARIOUS OF ARTIST TAKING OUT MELTED GLASS VARIOUS OF FINISHED PRODUCT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MEMBER OF THREE GLASSY LADIES, SARAH MOHAMED, SAYING: "We want our business to expand and we want people to know us. We want people to know that recycling is a good thing and how we use small things to create big things. Objects that had no use now have decorative uses. We want people to know our products and we want our brand to grow in the market." ARTIST POLISHING PRODUCT
- Embargoed: 18th September 2018 12:44
- Keywords: Egypt Art Recycling Bottles Glass Turning glass into art recycling glass in Egypt
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Art,Arts / Culture / Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA0018W7OLZP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Three women in Egypt are using their talents to produce art pieces from recycled glass bottles, a way they say adds a fine touch to home accessories and promotes recycling initiatives.
The "three glassy ladies" who mainly target empty wine and beer bottles are now part of broader initiatives to decrease the amount of unused glass and bottles on the streets but also raise awareness over the recycled products.
The group started after learning about the benefits of recycling in university. A quick treasure hunt in Cairo's garbage bins allowed the group to start a business and form an environmentally aware client-base.
"I find a way to make these bottles have permanent use. Not just a decoration; a chandelier or vase for example. (What I do) is find a way to utilise this bottle as a table utensil for example," said Asmaa Kamal, one of the group founders.
Relying mainly on empty wine and beer bottles, Kamal and her co-founders Sarah Mohamed and Hajar Assem, start their product-designs by polishing the bottles, using a furnace to melt them into a mold before leaving them to cool down.
The end product is a sustainable accessory which can be utilised as a vase, or home decorative object.
The group now solely sell their accessories to customers through social media and the internet.
"We want our business to expand and we want people to know us. We want people to know that recycling is a good thing and how we use small things to create big things," Mohamed said.
Many recycling initiatives operate in Cairo in a feat to reduce the city's enormous landfill waste produced in the teeming metropolis of 22 million. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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