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BOTTLE
UP

What if glass waste on Zanzibar becomes a valuable asset?

Welcome to Zanzibar, a tropical island off the East-African coast. Where more and more visitors from all over the world come to enjoy the heavenly beaches, diving trips, a glass of wine with dinner and cocktails on the beach. Tourists have become a significant source of income in Zanzibar during recent years, but they are also causing an increase in the amount of (glass) waste.

Zanzibar is not yet sufficiently equipped to process or recycle all this glass waste. It is discarded and eventually finds its way into the beautiful natural surroundings. But what if the tourism that causes this glass waste could contribute to the way it is processed?

Research

Commissioned by the bottle up foundation and in collaboration with the Dutch Design Foundation, Super Local travelled to Zanzibar to find a solution for this glass issue along with 3 other Dutch design studios. Together with Klaas Kuiken, OS∆OOS and StoneCycling,

we started researching the problem at the source and followed the bottle from the tourist’s hand all the way down the process. The absence of a glass industry makes the recycling of bottles on a professional scale impossible and shipping the material to Tanzania main

land seems not feasible. Using the material on the island itself turned out to be the only option for the near future. While taking a closer look to the properties of the glass we developed our own techniques to cut, grind and sandblast the glass. 

WHAT WE MADE

A full range of locally made and up-cycled products made from empty bottles

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PROTOTYPES

In an effort to make objects that don’t directly reveal it’s origin, we tested different shapes and finishes, and combined the glass with local crafts such as woodwork and traditional weaving. Together with these cooperatives and artisans, we developed ways to work around the challenges that came with the different bottles and shapes.