Upepo tealight holder

A tealight holder cut from an upcycled wine bottle, standing on a base carved by hand from mkongo wood. The tall glass closes over the base, with an opening at the top. At 12.5 cm tall, it can sit comfortably on a shelf or a windowsill.

Put one on a side table, a bathroom shelf or a windowsill, or group several at different heights down a long table in December, when the afternoons go dark at three. It’s 7.5 cm across and weighs 250 g, on a mkongo base with a pattern cut around its side, carved by hand so no two are quite alike. Upepo is Swahili for breeze.

A team on Zanzibar collects empty bottles from hotels, resorts, restaurants and dump sites, because tourism brings waste to the island. At the workshop they sort them by colour, remove the labels, then wash and disinfect each one.

The women score a groove around the bottle. Heat and cold part the glass along that line, and the cut edge is polished twice over until it’s smooth to handle. This holder takes a tall section of the bottle.

The base is mkongo, shaped by hand and finished so the glass sits level on it.

The glass keeps the colour of the bottle it came from, so no two holders are quite the same green.

The workshop runs on solar power, collects rainwater and works towards producing no waste of its own. It trains its artisans on the job and holds guaranteed membership of the World Fair Trade Organisation.

Let the holder cool before you move it or clean it. Lift the spent tealight cup out whole, and take off any wax with hot water and a cloth. Keep the wooden base dry and wipe it with a dry cloth. Never leave a burning candle unattended.