Trash talk

Rolando Sianghio named his company after a bacteria.

"I learned about lactobacilli microorganisms during a bio-composting scholarship in Suweon, South Korea, which was sponsored by the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center. In South Korea, these microorganisms are used to convert agricultural farm waste into organic fertilizer," he said.

When he returned home, Sianghio linked up with friends to put up Lacto Asia-Pacific Corp. The company produces a composting medium from organic wastes under the brand name, Happy Soil.

Initially aimed at homeowners and schools, Happy Soil came up with resistance, particularly from housewives who were sold on helping the environment but objected to seeing maggots that was part of the solid waste processing. LAPC solved the problem by coming up with a small composting drum, in either steel or plastic.

Soon after, the company diversified its market base,coming up with a 200-liter rotating steel drum design with bicycle gears which was offered as a solid waste management alternative for barangay Sun Valley in Paranaque.

"Our system, which can turn biodegradable waste into fertilizer in five days, is a viable alternative to incinerators and landfills as it saves government from identifying dumping sites and encourages a permanent, sustainable and profitable recycling and composting program," said Sianghio.

Undertakings

In the four years since it opened for business, LAPC has evolved into a leading provider of equipment/system for materials recovery facility or MRF projects. Under the National Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, local government units must put up MRFs as part of their waste disposal system.

To date, LAPC has installed almost a hundred MRFs as part of its barangay system Eco Center module.

The company is also exploring the market for urban gardening. This new idea was triggered by its innovations in composting, which include the five-layer composting cabinet for the home and composting mix in retail packs.

"In urban gardening, we will teach the people to use their compost in planting the seedlings provided by LAPC. We will provide the seedlings. We take care of germination. If every home will have at least 10 of this, we don’t have to buy vegetables like tomatoes. We can grow these at home," he said.

Not surprisingly, LAPC was recently given the "Most Environmentally Responsive Corporation" award by the Development Bank of the Philippines.

"We are motivated by the sense of fulfillment derived from the thought that, in our own little way, we are able to contribute something to the Philippines," he said.