Turn last night’s empty wine bottle into today’s funky work of art is the motivation behind Bottle Craft who are not only recycling glasses, they are transforming poverty stricken craftsmen into self employed entrepreneurs.

Bottle Craft is busy recycling lives with an amazingly simple, yet innovative craft kit that transforms last night’s trash into funky and functional glasses and other household items. The bottle craft kit opens the doors to a great new hobby and can also be the beginning of a viable small business. The glass bottles currently littering our environment can be collected and transformed into artistic and functional items and sold.

Of the approximately 540 000 tons of glass being produced each year less than 20% is recycled. It is easy maths to understand, 80% of all of this glass ends up in landfills but it also provides endless resources for budding entrepreneurs to utilise in the bottle crafting arena.

The Bottle Craft SA concept grew out of Jo Kearney’s garage who was looking at a part-time business opportunity for boys from the Durbanville Children’s Home. In 2004 he began manufacturing and distributing the Budski Bottle Cutting Kits to South African crafters and hobbyists. Jo was recognised as an entrepreneurial crafter and it became clear this concept had enormous potential for skills development and job creation in poorer communities.

Given the current unemployment rate in South Africa, especially in our rural communities, many poverty stricken families are left destitute and either “contributors to” or “victims of” the rising crime rate. These are growing concerns shared by both government and local communities. For almost 90% of the unemployed people in SA, self-employment is not only a good option, it’s the only option.

This is where the give-away gets interesting. You are able to nominate a person of your choice to win a place on the next Bottle crafting course and they will win one craft kit to get them going after the course. To help them qualify please sign up to the bottle craft newsletter as well so you can stay up-to-date with the innovative ways of recycling glass. Please sign up to the newsletter at http://www.bottlecraft.co.za/ Then send your email newsletter confirmation details and nomination with a reason why you believe they deserve to win this chance on the course to michele@lifeinbalance.co.za The competition closes on the 30th August and the winner must be able to attend a course in the Western Cape.