{"id":31324,"date":"2023-06-27t11:53:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-27t11:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=31324"},"modified":"2023-06-27t20:35:11","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27t20:35:11","slug":"cameroonian-tires-furniture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/cameroonian-tires-furniture\/","title":{"rendered":"ayeah leonette is a singer and single mother saving the planet, one car tire at a time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ayeah leonette is one of thousands of single mothers in cameroon. and she is one of tens of thousands of artists seeking to make a break with their music. but she is not your ordinary single mother and she is not your ordinary singer. she is a recycler who turns old car tires into useful products.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

leonette first recycled car tires in april 2020 as she sought to make a living for herself and her son. her first ever product was a set of chairs for her brother.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

looking back on it today, she says <\/span>the support from her brother created an impact that remains visible in her life to date. \u201cback then, he too was not ready to get a big furniture, but he was ready to make some sacrifices. so he gave me his money so i could use it to try,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
leonette made her first chair in 2020 and has only gotten better since then. (courtesy of ayeah leonette<\/span>) <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

she adds that the piece was \u201cjust a fancy thing\u201d which spurred her on to try many more times before finally getting it right.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ceach time i failed, i realized that i learned something new,\u201d she attests.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

from car tires to chic chairs<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
leonette poses next to table made from recycled tire.(courtesy of ayeah leonette<\/span>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

with a wealth of experience firmly tucked under her belt today, leonette can now trace the process in a few simple steps. she uses a simple but effective process to recycle the tires. she cuts them into pieces, washes them, dries them, and shapes them into different forms using glue, nails, and wires. she then embellishes them with bright colored pieces of cloth to make them more attractive. her clientele is limitless. as she jokingly puts it, every human needs a seat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

according to a study<\/a> by pieter jan kole at the open university of the netherlands, published in the international journal of environmental research and public health, tires account for as much as 10 percent of overall microplastic waste in the world\u2019s oceans. in countries like cameroon with less stricter measures sanctioning the recycling and dumping of waste and tires in particular, the figures are believed to be higher.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

leonette is based in limbe, and the challenges remain similar to those of many other seaside towns. according to a study by din-louis georges, published in 2015, the municipal waste generation in limbe is estimated at about 7,300 tonnes per year (i.e. 20 tonnes\/day).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

the study also found that the waste composition in limbe varies by location, but the most common components are organic waste (40-60%), plastics (10-20%), paper (5-10%), metals (2-5%), glass (1-3%) and others (10-15%). much of limbe\u2019s waste often finds itself in the ocean, causing harm to not just the sealife, but the town\u2019s residents too. with a 28km shoreline, policing the waste dumping process is a near-impossible task for municipal authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
plastic and other waste can be seen on the sand at down beach, limbe. (wikimedia commons\/cc by-sa 4.0)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

recycling for a greener future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

but leonette is solving this puzzle, one tire after the other.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cthe concept,\u201d she explains, \u201cis recycling used abandoned dirty tires that litter the streets. if i am working on an entire sitting room \u2026 i use eight tires.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
a set of chairs. one of leonette\u2019s products from recycled car tires. (courtesy of ayeah leonette<\/span>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

she confesses that the reasons for starting off a career in recycling are far different from the reason for staying in the business today. her words: \u201cwhen i started, i did not know i was doing anything for the environment. i was just doing my art which was beautiful to my eyes\u2026\u201d she says, half laughing.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

when she got informed of the benefits, her resolve to impact society, she reveals, only got stronger. she now produces not only chairs, but many other household equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ci realized that what i was doing was more serious\u2026 i said there was no turning back.\u201d over four years into the art, she is still going strong and with big dreams, dreams of leaving the planet better than she met it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

leonette is one of millions of cameroonians. but she is not just like any other. she is a warrior for the environment, creating a difference and forging the way for a better planet. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

you can connect with leonette on <\/span>facebook <\/span><\/a>or instagram<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
leonette now produces other household equipment such as mirrors and stools. (courtesy of ayeah leonette<\/span>)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n
\n\t\tsee the full series<\/a>\n\t<\/section><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

this cameroonian entrepreneur builds fashionable and sustainable furniture. her material of choice? car tires! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11678,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4916,4938,4920],"tags":[],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-31324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate","category-pollution","category-recycling-upcycling"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nsaving the planet, one car tire at a time - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ayeah leonette is not only a singer and a mother, but a builder of furniture. her material of choice? car tires!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/cameroonian-tires-furniture\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"saving the planet, one car tire at a time - planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ayeah leonette is not only a singer and a mother, but a builder of furniture. her material of choice? 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