DAET, Camarines Norte (PIA) -- The municipal government of San Vicente has come up with an artistic solution to reduce plastic waste, broken glass and junk food packets that could otherwise clog waterways and endanger ecosystems.

These waste items will be upcycled into chairs and other functional objects.

Personnel of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) recently underwent training conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on the use of a machine that converts plastic and glass into usable products.

As part of the program, DOST provided a grant of almost P1.15 million to San Vicente, which enabled the local government unit (LGU) to purchase a plastic shredder and a glass crusher.

The plastic shredder and glass crusher will be used to minimize the space covered by the large quantity of plastic and glass in the Residual Containment Area (RCA).

MENRO personnel will be converting plastic waste into useful sellable products like tables and chairs.

They will also shred and pulverize  glass , which can be used as aggregates and mixed with sand, gravel, and cement for concreting of pavement or any construction purposes. They can also produce hollow blocks and bricks.

San Vicente's prospective buyers and customers are the community, schools, business owners of landscape and plant nurseries, and building constructors.

Eco bricks made from plastic sachets can be a potential material for landscaping and pave buildings for beautification purposes.

The income generated using the equipment can be used for the maintenance of MENRO’s sub-office inside its Material Recovery Facility.

The project would decrease the maintenance and management costs of RCA, which in turn will reduce the budget of San Vicente.

The new technology of using plastic shredder and glass crusher will address the problem of the increasing volume of waste in the LGU’s waste management.

Based on a waste and analysis study, 46 percent of the domestic waste is composed of residuals and recyclables or equivalent to an average of one ton per day, which in the long run will be a big problem in the LGU's waste management.

San Vicente is a fifth-class municipality with a total population of 12,579 and composed of nine barangays.

The project is part of the DOST’s Community Empowerment Through Science and Technology (CEST) program under the Environmental Protection entry point wherein the focus is on fostering sustainable practices and technology utilization in environmental preservation.

The CEST project is named “Empowering the Municipality of San Vicente through completion of CEST 5 Entry Points” and is a partnership between DOST Bicol and LGU of San Vicente.

The partnership has been operationalized through a memorandum of understanding earlier signed between Mayor Jhoanna Ong and DOST Regional Director Rommel Serrano. (PIA 5/Camarines Norte)

Cover photo credit: DOST Camarines Norte)