Old school furniture is being given a new lease on life through an initiative aimed at reducing waste while providing schools with a low-cost alternative.
Founder of Glastic Designs Interior Styles, Alicia Barrie George, said the company is passionate about minimising waste by using a material that offers several benefits at minimal cost, benefiting both schools and the environment.
She shared that what began as a social media post highlighting the refurbishment of school furniture using recycled plastic materials has now sparked wider public interest.
“I have seen a lot of schools in my community, where there’s a lot of discarded furniture, either in their backyard or whatever, and the idea of again reusing and repurposing things just came into my head. What if, instead of dumping it, how best can we repurpose it?”
She said the environmental venture, born from a desire to find innovative ways to upcycle plastic material, has uncovered a growing need in our nation’s schools.
“Last week, we would have done a post on social with regard to the plastic refurbishment and the furniture refurbishment, and with that we got a wide range of requests and persons highlighting the need for furniture to be refurbished. So with that, we are going to different schools just to gauge more in terms of statistical data, taking pictures of what the furniture actually looks like.”
While the refurbishment project is aimed at extending the life of school furniture, Ms George noted that it is also part of a wider effort to change how people view plastic waste.
“In terms of plastics, we are trying to change the cultural perspective of what we have with plastics because our culture just throws everything away. Plastic is a sustainable resource, there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just how we treat it after we use it. So that awareness that we are creating, giving people the idea to reuse their plastics, don’t throw it away, and you can actually get money from it, and that’s through Every Bottle Back TT. Persons may not be aware of that, but we are trying to educate persons as we go along with the work we do..”
Ms George said the overall benefits of the initiative far outweigh the financial investment required, noting that the refurbished desks and chairs can improve learning environments while reducing waste and promoting sustainability.