DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Very few Palestinians could have imagined that old tires, wooden electric poles or other discarded household items could be used to make a children's playground — until the creation of Hakoura Park.
The 2,000-square-meter (21,500-square-foot) park is the first and only one made of recycled materials in the Gaza Strip. It was established by NAWA for Culture and Arts Association in Deir al-Balah, a city 14 kilometers (9 miles) south of Gaza City, in early July 2016. The park opened to visitors in December, welcoming the city’s children and parents, schools and educational institutions free of charge.
The park's facilities are made of old household items and factory waste: seats are made of old painted tires, benches and swings are made of recycled wood and old minibuses were painted in bright colors to make a playroom and a library. Plastic bottles and fabrics donated by local residents were used to create toys and dolls.
Salem Ghanam, the park's manager, told Al-Monitor, “We wanted to spread the culture of recycling and show that we can repurpose domestic waste. We decided that this could be a good opportunity to raise awareness among [the park’s visitors] on how to turn the items we discard into something that could benefit society and be less harmful to the environment."
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