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FOR officials of the municipality of Bantayan in northern Cebu, the proper disposal of plastics like food wrappers and sando bags used to be a big headache.
But now, they consider these as among their prized possessions.
Using a new technology, they shred the non-biodegrable garbage and use these as raw materials for the production of useful items like pavers and concrete bricks., according to Ethereal Diaz, Bantayan's planning and development officer.
?These (plastics) are items that are hard to decompose. Mao ni pirmi ang mahibilin sa atong dumpsite. Mao nangita ta ug technology para ato sad ni mapuslan. This early, we addressed the possiblity of recycling these plastics because these might cause a build up in the dumpsite,? said Diaz.
For over a year now, Diaz said they have been experimenting on items which they could produce from shredded plastic.
So far, they have already manufactured plastic pavers decorated with river stones and concrete bricks which now adorn the town plaza.
Diaz said they also wanted to venture into the production of pots, table tops and other decorative items out of melted plastic in the future.
?These are easier to market,? she said.
Once they perfect the production process, Diaz said they would sell their produce to subsidize their cost of production.
Diaz said that Mayor Geralyn Escario, who is on her third term, designated her to oversee the implementation of the municipality's Solid Waste Management program in 2002.
But the earlier programs they implemented only focused on composting and the disposal of recyclable items like tin cans, pet bottles and broken plastic materials like pails and basins.
The municipal government has established a vermi composting shed on a corner of their 2.8 hectare dumpsite in barangay Mohon. Beside it is their materials recovery facility (MRF) which stores recyclable items.
In 2008, the municipal government decided to find ways to make use of non-bioderagable garbage like food wrappers and sando bags which cannot be sold for recycling.
Based on a waste characterization study conducted in 2006, 60 percent of the municipality's garbage consisted of biodegradable wastes.
Recyclables account for 10 percent of their garbage volume while 30 percent are residual wastes.
Diaz said food wrappers and sando bags had started to pile up at their Mohon dumpsite.
After learning a new technology from the Internet, Diaz said the municipal government bought a plastic shredder and densifier machine.
A densifier machine physically transforms a light, fluffy material into something heavier.
The machine accepts scraps like plastic, styro, used films, ropes, nets and filaments.
Bantayan town acquired its shredder worth P278,800 on Nov. 22, 2008.
Food wrappers and sando bags at the dumpsite are collected by municipal workers, washed with soap and water and hanged on a clothesline to dry before these are shredded into very fine pieces.
Diaz said the shredder machine can shred 15 kilos of plastic in 15 minutes.
To manufacture pavers, they mix one kilo of shredded plastic with one kilo of used cooking oil.
The densifier machine is heated up to 150 degrees Celsius to cook the mixture for 45 minutes. The sticky mixture is then poured into a molder made from steel plates. The products are then dried under the sun for at least a week to drain their oil content.
They have also used shredded plastics as raw material in making concrete bricks.
Diaz said they learned about the manufacture of concrete bricks from barangay Bagumbayan in Quezon City. Town officials visited the barangay more than a year ago as part of their Lakbay Aral.
In 2009, Bantayan town started to manufacture its own concrete bricks.
?The cost of production is more expensive kay mahal man kung mo gamit ka ug cemento pero mas lig-on siya. Mas ideal pud ang concrete bricks for flooring kay dili siya slippery,? said Diaz.
Diaz said the plastic pavers they intially produced were slippery because of its oil contents. ?Amo lang usa gi hunong ang pag produce sa pavers kay mura ug kuyaw man nga maka slide.?
Diaz said shredded plastics processed at the dumpsite are loaded into sacks and brought to an open space near the municipal motorpool for fabrication.It is fabricated in the motorpool since it is closer to the plaza.
Bricks are dried under the sun for at least 24 hours.
Diaz said they were able to display samples of their concrete bricks during the One Cebu exhibit held last August at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).
The shredding and processing of food wrappers and sando bags have already reduced the volume of garbage deposited at the dumpsite.
