LUSAKA, Jan. 7 — From furniture to ornamental items such as flowerpots, used motor vehicle tires have become a source of income for creative youths in Zambia.
Innovative youths are seizing opportunities presented by the growing demand for furniture and ornaments made from old motor vehicle tires to earn a living.
“Almost every piece we are working on at any given time is already paid for by a customer,” said 23-year-old Oscar Shanzi, a furniture maker based in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.
Shanzi revealed that his team of five young people, which operates under the name Unique Furniture, makes coffee tables, stools, and lounge chairs from used motor vehicle tires. Prices of items start from 200 Zambian Kwacha (about 12 U.S. dollars).
He said before experimenting with tires, his team specialized in making furniture that had wood as the main component. After three years of being in the business, Shanzi and his colleagues decided to try out making furniture from used motor vehicle tires.
“The response from the public, in general, was beyond our expectations. Business is good and we are now investing more resources into furniture pieces made from old tires,” he said.
He asserted that compared to wood, using old car tires to make furniture is far less costly. This has enabled the youths to have better returns on their investment.
“We do not have challenges getting tires because they are readily available. And residents of our community know that we make furniture from old tires and they willingly bring them to our workshop,” added Shanzi.
His colleague Moses Tembo, who is 20 years old, pointed out that making furniture pieces from old tires is helping rid their environment of waste.
“It is a win-win kind of arrangement,” Tembo said, adding that utilizing tires that were disposed of to earn a living is also a way to ensure that communities do not have piles of waste in form of used tires.
And 32-year-old Teddy Mbewe, an artist who has been making ornamental objects and furniture from recycled old motor vehicle tires for over two years, said it is encouraging to see more youths utilizing opportunities in the recycling space.
Mbewe, a resident of Chibombo, Central Province of Zambia, commended young people who are investing in recycling motor vehicle tires for demonstrating a willingness to do things differently.
“It is good to have youths making things like furniture from materials other than wood. We need more youths to be innovative and self-employed,” he said. (Xinhua)
Feature: Zambian youths using old car tires to make furniture, ornaments
