A young couple in Hanoi has brought out the best from discarded materials to create catchy decorative collectibles and convey a message of environmental protection.

Since early last year, Dinh Thien Tam and his wife, Nguyen Dieu Thuy, who live in the capital’s Dong Da District, have been breathing life into seemingly useless objects, mostly glass jars and bottles.

The couple both graduated from a local art university and worked different art-related jobs including advertising and design, according tonewswire Vietnamplus.

Tam said the idea of recycling discarded objects first crossed his mind when he saw piles of nice glassware which went to waste outside bars and shops.

He and his wife originally intended for their recycled artworks to be gifts for their relatives and friends.

Much to their surprise, their debut works were enthusiastically embraced at a craft fair.

The twosome has since turned their seemingly passing fad into a budding business which earns them relatively good income.

Tam collects almost any disposed jar or bottle which he sets eyes on, even while he is on the street, which attracts attention from people in the area.

He then restyles the glass jars and bottles into desired or custom-made shapes before he and his wife add richly-colored decorative patterns including flowers, images of islands and seas, pastoral scenes and animals to the glassware.

The collectibles come in various shapes and for different purposes, including night lamps, flower vases and tubs, and candle holders.

Thuy said they encountered lots of difficulty in the beginning, including cutting their fingers with pieces of glass and deciding on suitable types of paint so that they go well on the glass texture and will not fade.

A simple object takes her or her husband around an hour to finish, while more sophisticated, technically demanding ones will not be completed for one or two days.

Their items are priced between VND50,000 (US$2.33) and VND500,000 ($23.30).

Their clientele is mostly made up of young people who are more receptive to unconventional designs and environmental protection messages.

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