Palestinian woman sets example by recycling glass waste

Rawan Rajab, a young Palestinian woman from the West Bank city of Tulkarm, has always strived to be creative and that is why she started turning the glass waste into eco-friendly building stones.

The 22-year-old woman came up with the idea when she witnessed how broken glass waste injured many children in her town and she thought about how she could help her neighbors get rid of the waste without getting hurt.

"I decided to turn that waste into colored building stones that would be used for decorations of homes, restaurants as well as some offices," says Rajab, who is also a student of interior design at a Palestinian university.

However, establishing such a project was not an easy task, especially as she did not have enough money to launch it. To realize her dream, she approached the nongovernment Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees that ended up funding her project.

First, she collects the glass waste from the debris of houses, streets and surrounding areas, or that she buys from local children, whom she wants to educate about waste recycling. After she gathers enough glass waste, she begins the process by grinding it to powder. Then she puts the mixture into a small machine that turns it into white sand. After that, she mixes the white sand with regular sand, water and other material and then pours everything into iron molds.

Rajab says she began the project because she tried to connect her passion for the environment and her university studies with a source of stable income.

She says she hopes to use the project as an opportunity to arouse public awareness about the need to recycle waste and encourage young women to take a more active role in society.

Rajab is still facing a number of difficulties. The research, the experiments and the production processes are arduous. She also needs to promote her products in the market, which is equally difficult.

But that is changing, especially after her hometown started exerting efforts into preserving the environment and bought big quantities of stones from her. Rajab makes 2 square meters of colored stones daily, while the price of 1 square meter is about $15. But she says she hopes to get more money to help her expand the project in the future.

"I am so happy as I have become famous in the West Bank and receive many demands from my clients, not only from my town but also from other governorates in the West Bank," Rajab says. "The only thing we must have is our belief in ourselves, as well as our ideas and strive to achieve them."

Firas Fhamawi, the project coordinator at the Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees, says Rajab's project received significant attention from society for its pioneering role in preserving the environment.

The association assists pioneering projects in the West Bank and Gaza, targeting women from 19 to 29 years old by providing financial assistance, training or marketing, Fhamawi adds.

He calls on Palestinian women to undertake pioneering projects in an attempt to enhance their role in the society.