Skateboarder Ahmad Adib Ahmad Kasarsi, better known as Adeeb Kasarsi, says there is no reason for old skateboards to end up in the trash.
Being a skateboarding enthusiast, Adeeb put on his thinking cap and found a way to turn old skateboards into beautiful accessories such as rings, a hammer handle, small flower pots and even housing for a Bluetooth radio.
“I feel it is a huge waste of wood if we just throw away these old skateboards,” said 30-year-old Adeeb, who is currently based in Seremban.
“We are living in the age of recycling and saving our planet for future generations. As such, we should recycle old skateboards into something useful.”
Initially, he started doing it as a fun project and distributed the items to his friends for free. They were impressed with his workmanship, and suggested that he sell the items online.
“I followed their suggestion, but I did not expect to get an overwhelming response.”
Since then, the full-time skateboarding coach has started his own company, called Deep Wood, and he makes everyday accessories using old skateboards.
The most difficult aspect of his job is getting old skateboards.
“Some skateboarders are reluctant to give away their old skateboards. They share many lovely memories with their old skateboards and find it difficult to say goodbye.
“Some of them want to use their old skateboards as wall decor – which makes for an eye-catching artwork on a bare wall.”
Adeb said in some countries, people have experimented with combining their old skateboards with other material and have produced bigger things like a dining table and a bed.
“I would like to try to do something similar in future. I believe this challenge will not be an easy task. But I love taking up difficult challenges.”
His interest in skateboards began at the age of 13. His father (who is now a retired soldier) was strict and would not allow him to roam around on his own.
“If I wanted to go out, I had to follow my older brother, who was 16 at the time,” he said.
His older brother loved to skateboard with his friends. Initially, Adeeb would only sit in one corner and watch his brother skateboarding with his friends.
“When I got bored of just watching, I would join them.”
He even took part in a few skateboarding competitions in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, and has won a few titles along the way. He worked in retail and customer service before opting to be a full-time skateboarding coach.
“In the past, parents were not keen when their children wanted to skateboard, as they viewed it negatively. They see it as equivalent to vandalism.
“We did not have skateboarding courts in those days. So we would skateboard on the road and our parents felt it was dangerous. But over the years, the trend has changed.
“We have skateboarding courts everywhere and parents now feel their children are safe and as a result, their perception has changed.”
The idea of turning old skateboards into beautiful artistic accessories came in 2014 when Adeeb suffered a serious injury to his knees.
“I could not skateboard for two years because I needed to rest my knees,” he said.
“When you have all the time in the world, the first thing you will do is watch YouTube.”
He chanced upon several videos on recycling old skateboards into useful things that could be used in everyday life.
“Those videos inspired me to do the same with my old skateboards. You could say I am a student of YouTube university!”
