FOR some beach-goers washed-up shells and driftwood found strewn along the Mother City's lovely coastline are just "menacing waste".

But in THE Imizamo Yethu informal settlement in Hout Bay creative individuals collect these bits and pieces and fashion them into jewellery and lampshades.

Apart from turning trash into cash and creating jobs for themselves and others, these people are also responding to call to fight climate change by cleaning up the environment by recycling.

Jevas Chidewu keeps himself busy in his workshop at the Iziko Lobomi Centre in Imizamo Yethu.

To his mind there is nothing to waste. He believes most of the things thrown away as waste could be recycled and generate jobs and income.

Chidewu explained that snail shells could be made into napkin holders, sackcloth into handbags and broken sea shells into necklaces.

Driftwood is fashioned into jewelry boxes and abalone shells into ashtrays or candleholders.

"You need not look for work," Chidewu says. "You must create it for yourself."