About

Founder of Upcycled Shack | Architect | Artist

Tressie Yap

Tressie, an artist and architect, has consciously embraced a minimal waste lifestyle since 2014. As the Founder of Upcycled Shack, she has been instrumental in producing artisanal crafts and wearables from upcycled materials.

With a mission to raise awareness within communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), governmental bodies, and the general public, Tressie advocates for the potential of reusing and repurposing waste materials into merchandise. Engaging in research and development, she focuses on upcycling industrial and consumer waste.

To date, Tressie has participated in partnership programs with organisations such as

Happy Plastic Borneo, PACOS TRUST, Dumo Wongi, Corn Husk Craft, Ripple x Carlsbot Glass Recycling, and many more.

In 2020, amidst the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, Tressie was acknowledged as one of the 30 organisations and 30 individual recipients for the ‘SCEIC 2020 Honourable Mention’ by the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC). This acknowledgment reflects her significant contribution, dedication, and support in building competent talents in Sabah.

In 2022, she assumed the role of Chair at RIPPLE, the Sabah Recycling Association, leading initiatives in glass and plastic recycling and establishing the first pioneer upcycling centre in Sabah.

In 2023, Tressie received another prestigious award from SCENIC, the SE Kinabalu Award in the Women Empowerment category. This award recognises her impactful contributions to women’s communities, both socially and economically, through her work on eco-friendly products.

Mission

Our mission is to empower underprivileged local communities by equipping them with the tools and knowledge to upcycle household waste into beautiful, marketable products, thereby preventing these materials from causing environmental pollution.

Through education and advocacy, Upcycled Shack aims to cultivate a global culture that values and encourages the upcycling of waste materials.

Sustainability

We care about our planet.

Harnessing her love for architecture and nature, Tressie and the Upcycled Shack team aims to utilise skills in design and the endless waste resources to infuse product design & merchandise value into discarded items.

Materials we use

With the ever-growing waste issue in our society, all it takes is a little creativity to look at the ‘waste’ and see its potential.

From Cornhusk waste to foiled coffee capsules, glass bottles, single-use bottles and many more….

Working Ethos

We believe in empowering the B40 community by injecting creativity and exploring untapped talent, especially in the arts and craft sector.

Skilled hands and an eye for creation are harnessed and developed through programs run in partnership with organisations such as Happy plastic Borneo, PACOS TRUST, Dumo Wongi, Corn Husk Craft, Ripple x Carlsbot Glass Recycling and many more….