The 'Wizard' of Recycled Items

For me, getting to know and listen to Ms. Nguyen Thi Giang's story of green living is a fortunate and happy experience, because she has inspired not only me but many others about a lifestyle that reduces waste and recycles whatever is possible to protect our environment.

From discarded items…

From the first time I saw the recycled items made by Ms. Giang (currently living in Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa ), I was fascinated and secretly admired her skillful hands in creating those lovely items. What's special is that the materials used to create these handcrafted products all come from discarded items, expired goods, broken items, or extremely simple things in life. All of these can be transformed into incredibly beautiful, useful products, and most importantly, contribute to a greener life.

Colorful dolls representing the ethnic groups of Vietnam, made from recycled materials, are meticulously created by Ms. Giang.

Photo: Provided by the interviewee

I met Giang in a community recycling group. We both share a passion for recycled items made from discarded objects, waste, and plastic. She lives in Nha Trang, while I live in Hanoi . Although we don't see each other often, we always exchange ideas about recycled products as a way to contribute to a greener world. Occasionally, when there are recycling fairs, if we can arrange our schedules, we always try to meet up and share new items.

Ms. Giang started working with recycled items before me, and her craftsmanship truly impresses me, so I jokingly call her the "witch" of recycled crafts. Every month, she consistently produces recycled items that surprise me, from the raw materials to the final product. It's truly a magical transformation, turning seemingly discarded items into beautiful and sophisticated works of art and decorative objects.

Ms. Giang's recycled products are quite diverse and abundant, including handbags, souvenirs, decorative items, etc. All are made from discarded materials, transforming them into colorful and unique everyday items that are loved by many.

Sharing about this, she said: "To make recycled items, I usually use plastic from bottles, water containers, paint cans, paper, palm leaves, branches, dried flowers and fruits, seashells, leftover fabric...". In general, things that many people think of as waste are excellent materials for Ms. Giang to "transform" into many cute and lovely items.

Ms. Giang - the "wizard" of recycled items.

Photo: Provided by the interviewee

...to environmental protection awareness

We often exchange and share memories about recycling, participating in environmental protection workshops, or how to create new items from everyday waste. A few months ago, a friend gave her a box of high-quality plastic bottles. Unsure what to do with the bottles, Giang watched the animated film Epic, and that sparked the idea of ​​turning the plastic into… dolls! She excitedly shared with me the dolls she had just finished, made from the aforementioned plastic bottles, along with plastic eggshells, paper, fabric scraps, yarn, etc. Through the hands of "magician" Giang, the dolls are very cute and pretty. She said she will use them as gifts for friends or their children on special occasions.

Furthermore, I was impressed by Ms. Giang's palm sheath chandelier; it looked like a work of art from a talented artist. Palm sheath is a familiar material, used by our ancestors in daily life to make fans, back scratchers, baskets, etc. The longer palm sheath is used, the harder, more durable, lighter, and, best of all, resistant to termites. With these characteristics, Ms. Giang created a chandelier inspired by a television program about tuna schools. The palm sheath chandelier, shaped like a cone and adorned with seashells and cypress vines, was a gift she gave to a friend in Khanh Hoa.

Moreover, I sensed that Ms. Giang's love for recycling was even greater when she made an effort to spread the message of reusing plastic waste and discarded items to her family and friends. Her son, Gia Huy, is also incredibly enthusiastic about recycling. Together with his mother, he creates beautiful objects such as Christmas trees from empty wine bottles, old ornaments, plastic flowers and leaves, coconut fiber, dried lotus pods, paints, etc. This helps him become more aware of environmental protection, maintaining a green lifestyle, and encourages him and his friends at school to adopt a green lifestyle using recycled materials.

She spreads her love of recycling to the younger members of the family.

Photo: Provided by the interviewee

She recently made this chandelier from palm leaves.

Photo: Provided by the interviewee

Furthermore, Ms. Giang actively participates in many environmental protection activities using recycled materials, earning high praise from many. "I often participate in events at the Khanh Hoa Museum of Ethnology with a recycled goods booth," she recounted, adding: "At the end of May 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment organized the 'Green Living Day,' and I contributed a few recycled handicrafts to my small booth. There, visitors could see and touch dolls and souvenirs recycled from plastic eggshells, paper, fabric, wool, seashells, foam, etc., after being painted and glued, looking vibrant and eye-catching. It's truly rewarding to contribute a small part today to a greener, healthier, and happier future."

Ms. Giang is an inspiration to me, and I've learned so much from this "recycling wizard." I hope that someday there will be a recycling event in Hanoi so we can meet. I'm sure we'll have so much to tell each other then.

Ms. Giang's recycled goods display booth at a green living event.

Photo: Provided by the interviewee

Currently, Ms. Giang is still enthusiastically creating useful items from plastic waste and discarded broken items every day, transforming them into objects that surprise and impress everyone who sees them. She is a shining example of green living and environmental protection in the face of the pollution from waste that we are currently facing.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phu-thuy-cua-nhung-mon-do-tai-che-18525062019313798.htm