Today’s Trash is Tomorrow’s Treasure
1 The concept of upcycling/has been receiving attention worldwide. Upcycling means/using waste to create more valuable products. It is also called/“creative recycling.” In 1997,/a woman in the Gambia, Isatou Ceesay,/started a project/related to upcycling. In her project,/Ceesay made colorful purses/out of discarded plastic bags/with her friends. Ever since,/the project has contributed/to empowering not only Ceesay herself/but also many women/in the Gambia.
2 Ceesay was born in a small village/in the Gambia in 1972. In those days,/few children received education there. Ceesay was no exception. However,/being curious and active,/she always questioned/what was regarded as “common sense.” She also wished to solve social problems.
3 When Ceesay was 25,/she met volunteer workers/of the US Peace Corps. She learned/how to recycle waste/from them. At that time,/waste disposal methods had not been established/in the Gambia,/and a lot of plastic bags were thrown away/on the streets. Those plastic bags resulted in serious problems/such as malaria outbreaks, animal deaths, and poor harvests. After learning these facts,/Ceesay wanted to reduce the number/of discarded plastic bags.
4 After a while,/Ceesay came up with the idea/of making purses out of discarded plastic bags/and selling them. Ceesay and her friends began the project/by picking up plastic bags/on the streets. After washing and drying the plastic bags,/they cut and spun them into yarn. Using the plastic yarn,/they successfully made handy purses.
5 However,/their husbands were not happy/with their project. The men said/that women should focus on household chores. Despite the opposition,/Ceesay and her friends never gave up. They got together at night/and kept making purses secretly/by candlelight. When they completed enough purses,/they brought them to a market/in the city. The purses were popular/and sold out quickly. Ceesay and her friends were so delighted/that they decided to continue their project. Their husbands gradually accepted it,/realizing that the wives’ income supported their families.
6 Over time,/Ceesay’s project involved women/in nearby villages. Through the project,/the women were able to earn money/and open their own bank accounts,/which led to their financial independence. Currently,/over 2,000 women in 40 communities/participate in this project. Thus,/Ceesay’s wisdom brought about a big change/in women’s social status. In addition,/influenced by her project,/the Gambian government banned the use of plastic bags/in 2015. The wisdom also changed people’s attitudes/toward the environment.
1 The concept of upcycling/has been receiving attention worldwide. Upcycling means/using waste to create more valuable products. It is also called/“creative recycling.” In 1997,/a woman in the Gambia, Isatou Ceesay,/started a project/related to upcycling. In her project,/Ceesay made colorful purses/out of discarded plastic bags/with her friends. Ever since,/the project has contributed/to empowering not only Ceesay herself/but also many women/in the Gambia.
2 Ceesay was born in a small village/in the Gambia in 1972. In those days,/few children received education there. Ceesay was no exception. However,/being curious and active,/she always questioned/what was regarded as “common sense.” She also wished to solve social problems.
3 When Ceesay was 25,/she met volunteer workers/of the US Peace Corps. She learned/how to recycle waste/from them. At that time,/waste disposal methods had not been established/in the Gambia,/and a lot of plastic bags were thrown away/on the streets. Those plastic bags resulted in serious problems/such as malaria outbreaks, animal deaths, and poor harvests. After learning these facts,/Ceesay wanted to reduce the number/of discarded plastic bags.
4 After a while,/Ceesay came up with the idea/of making purses out of discarded plastic bags/and selling them. Ceesay and her friends began the project/by picking up plastic bags/on the streets. After washing and drying the plastic bags,/they cut and spun them into yarn. Using the plastic yarn,/they successfully made handy purses.
5 However,/their husbands were not happy/with their project. The men said/that women should focus on household chores. Despite the opposition,/Ceesay and her friends never gave up. They got together at night/and kept making purses secretly/by candlelight. When they completed enough purses,/they brought them to a market/in the city. The purses were popular/and sold out quickly. Ceesay and her friends were so delighted/that they decided to continue their project. Their husbands gradually accepted it,/realizing that the wives’ income supported their families.
6 Over time,/Ceesay’s project involved women/in nearby villages. Through the project,/the women were able to earn money/and open their own bank accounts,/which led to their financial independence. Currently,/over 2,000 women in 40 communities/participate in this project. Thus,/Ceesay’s wisdom brought about a big change/in women’s social status. In addition,/influenced by her project,/the Gambian government banned the use of plastic bags/in 2015. The wisdom also changed people’s attitudes/toward the environment.