Activists in the town of Hass, southern Idlib, have organized an exhibition of drawings and handmade pieces from the recycled garbage of houses and factories, in a step unique to the governorate. 

The exhibition, organized by the “al-Ameen for Humanitarian Support” organization, in cooperation with the “Baraem Education” (buds) center, on October 18, aims to present the handmade models, created by children and women out of the plastic, cardboard and other materials’ litter, in addition to straw and reed work produced by women participants.

Mohammad al-Ameen, a member of the organization, told Enab Baladi that “the objective of this exhibition is to present the children’s drawings and pieces, made out of the recycled litter from buildings, hospitals, restaurants and others and reusing them as gifts and simple antiques.”

The children, through the drawings and the handmade pieces, expressed their inner psychological sentiments and what they have been suffering during the war and the former shelling they endured, according to al-Ameen, who added that the presented pieces contribute in cleaning the environment of some garbage.

An exhibition of drawings and handmade pieces produced from recycled garbage from homes and factories in the town of Hass, Southern Idlib – October 2018 (Enab Baladi)

Noura Rahal, Director of the “Baraem Education Center,” believes that “the idea of recycling releases the environment, distorted under war and destruction, from some of the pressure imposed on it by the litter that was not cleared off or sorted. We started by ourselves to be a role model for others.”

The project is one of the enterprises aiming at the empowerment of women; it is not limited to presenting the models, drawings and changing the children’s psychological status, as it seeks to enhance a culture that will help generate income to many families.

The director points out that the women trainees started selling their products made with straw, reeds, textile and other materials, generating an income that made them self-sufficient.

Recycling and Its Benefits

The process of recycling and reproducing garbage is lacking in Syria, but several simple projects managed to turn these leftovers into some sort of benefit to citizens.

In the past few years, many entities in the opposition-controlled areas undertook steps to recycle litter with simple tools. Several organizations have also supported the local councils through providing them with tractors and dumpsters to help them clear the garbage off to dump sites out of the residential areas, where they will be burnt.

The recycling process starts with sorting the garbage on the part of the people; they separate nylon, plastic and metals, of which they can have some income by selling metals and paper to merchants directly, while the sorted wood materials could be made into wood dust, to be utilized in winter.

Among the simplest sorting manners that can be currently used in the opposition-held areas, there is the belt-based method, consisting of a long moving belt, upon which the garbage is placed and sorted by workers on both sides.

Questions were raised about the companies and investors, in areas near to the opposition-held regions, abstinence from utilizing the garbage, but this action requires stability and securing trade roads, which are gradually provided with the battles tuning down.