LUSAKA, April 30 (Xinhua) -- The selling of secondhand clothes is not a new phenomenon in Zambia, what might be new is the use of them to make completely different items.

This is exactly what 37-year-old Emma Banda, a trader based in Zambia's capital Lusaka and her colleagues have been doing over the past four years.

Banda, who specializes in the sale of secondhand clothes known as salaula, which in local language means "to select from a pile", seized the opportunity to have extra sources of income by adding value to items that would otherwise end up at a dumpsite.

Previously, many dealers in secondhand clothes had challenges selling off certain woolen items. Even after reducing prices, there still remained some particular woolen garments that just would not sell. Some of it ended up being donated to charity while the rest of it was just thrown away.

It was then that Banda and her colleagues Catherine Luwena aged 48 years, and Megan Shamilumba also aged 48 years, decided to embark on making handmade doormats using wool derived from unsellable second-hand garments.

The move to knit doormats from secondhand clothes proved to be a worthwhile undertaking for the three who have since perfected their art and currently working on diversifying their product range.

"Sometimes we buy off old jerseys and scarves as well as other secondhand items made of wool from other traders just to get the material to make these rugs. There is currently a high demand for wool from most pre-owned clothing because of its suitability for making rugs," explained Luwena.

According to Luwena, the trio makes about 300 Zambian Kwacha (about 13 U.S. dollars) per day just from the sale of rugs, which cost 75 Zambian Kwacha apiece.

Shamilumba on her part also observed that the number of women vendors trading in rugs made from secondhand woolen clothes has increased over time.

"I think many of them are now aware that one can realize some substantial income from making and selling these kinds of rugs. Moreover, a lot of people are beginning to prefer handmade doormats to the ones sold by established shops," she said.

Discussions with vendors trading around the Lusaka central business district revealed that a number of women vendors involved in other businesses outside secondhand clothes are also making rugs as a way of keeping busy, particularly when business is slow.

Fruit vendor Lillian Mumba, aged 31 years, said knitting doormats not only keeps her active and alert but also provides her with some extra income, which she uses to offset losses in her main trade.

"I switch to knitting doormats at off-peak times. It helps me to keep busy and gives some extra income," said Mumba who sells oranges and bananas near the town center market in Lusaka.

According to a January 2020 report by the African Studies Centre of the Leiden University, the trade in secondhand clothes from the west to Africa is worth five billion U.S. dollars per year. However, the vast amounts of these clothes end up in landfills. Enditem

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