Have you ever considered decorating your home with recycled materials? One organization in Durban is working with artists from across Africa on this. They're looking to create unique designs that could one day become collectables. It started out as a foundation for disabled artists, but has grown into a sustainable business that creates employment for people from marginalised communities. CGTN's Julie Scheier reports.

From the outside, the Umcebo Design studio in Durban looks unassuming. But inside, magnificent chandeliers hang from the ceiling, each elaborately designed, with a distinct African flare.

ROBIN OPPERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR, UMCEBO DESIGN "I do believe that there's kind of a fire burning inside someone. You can always put wood on that fire and make it bigger. We look for that fire or that spark, and what we say to the person is this is an environment where you're safe to kind of experiment and to dream."

They're all made from recycled materials, with decorative additions like acrylic crystals, beads and wire.

ROBIN OPPERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR, UMCEBO DESIGN "If you use recycled materials, you use them very thoughtfully, you process them really well. But you combine them very carefully with bought materials as well. All you have to do is sit down with some material, and just basically open up your mind to what's around you."

UJALA SEWPERSAD CREATIVE CONSULTANT, UMCEBO DESIGN "We have this vision to uplift artists, to make use of plastic and waste material, so it doesn't get into landfills and to make the world a better, safer, happier, brighter place."

JULIE SCHEIER DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA "These delicate pieces are masterfully hand-crafted by artists from all over Africa. They're unique and colourful and tell stories of the artists' own experiences and surroundings."

TEMBUSO NDZIMANDE ARTIST "I just want to break the norm that people actually think that as women we don't have that capability to actually reach that standard of actually telling your story through painting. Having to come here and learn that art is such a big thing. It helped me to have confidence in it."

Some designs are shipped off to other countries, and hang proudly in the homes of celebrities.

ROBIN OPPERMAN CREATIVE DIRECTOR, UMCEBO DESIGN "We've also been lucky enough to have celebrity clients like Rita Marley. We made a three dimensional beadwork piece for her New York apartment. We've made stuff for Oprah Winfrey's theatre. We made some beaded heads for Richard Branson's private game lodge."

Rubbish and discarded materials are invaluable resources for artists in marginalised communities. Umcebo is helping to create jobs -- and changing mindsets about the value of trash. JS CGTN Durban, South Africa.