RAFIF ESLEEM

Gaza- One of the best things that you can do to protect our planet is to recycle waste materials. Paper can be reused easier than other waste materials. Huda Thabet, a woman living in the Gaza Strip, has launched a project to turn recycled paper into eco-friendly drawing boards. She aims to raise environmental awareness by recycling paper waste.

‘My home had turned into a sea of paper’

 Huda Thabet has written children's stories for years. She also holds creative writing courses for students. After years, she saw hundreds of thousands of drafts used by students at her home, and decided to recycle them. “My home had turned into a sea of paper,” she said, “So I decided to launch a project to recycle them.”

After several months, she managed to produce a drawing board with a good quality. Then, she visited several fine arts schools and courses and offered them to produce drawing boards free of charge in order to understand the quality of her drawing boards. In a short time, she managed to recycle paper waste into eco-friendly drawing boards and sell them in the local markets. “I decided to start my own workshop with four women. These drawing boards are safe and eco-friendly. They can be used many times.”

 ‘Our project will reduce cutting trees’

Now, Huda Thabet visits many companies and workplaces to find more paper waste in order to produce more drawing boards. “Our project will reduce cutting trees. Such projects must be supported to protect our planet.”

Speaking about the recycling process, she said, “We first cut paper before putting them in hot water with other materials. We keep them in water for at least four hours. Then, we dry them under the sun.”

Huda Thabet calls on women to support eco-friendly projects.