Turning plastic wastes into school desks

MANILA, Philippines - With tons of plastic waste materials being dumped in Metro Manila every day, finding a way to get rid of them in an environmentally-friendly way is definitely a challenge.

One of the country’s leading entrepreneurs has initiated a program that would not only turn plastic waste into something very useful but would also provide work for the urban poor.

Senator-elect Cynthia Villar led the inauguration of the first waste plastic recycling factory in Metro Manila, which utilizes the plastic waste materials for the building of school desks.

Villar, who heads the Villar Foundation, noted that the desks made from recycled plastic are very sturdy and could last up to 20 years.

MANILA, Philippine s- “We have a lot of plastic wastes here in Metro Manila. When disposed of improperly, these result in the clogging of our drainage and eventually cause flooding, spread of diseases, and many others. So we thought of processing these plastic wastes and coming up into something useful,” she said.

Villar said that she drew inspiration from an article she read about the process being used in Davao of converting plastic waste into school desks.

“I have been using biodegradable waste as resource in my other livelihood projects. I was so happy when I saw this technology because now, we can also process non-biodegradable wastes and we have tons of them here in Metro Manila,” Villar said.

For the pilot area in Metro Manila, Villar chose to set up the factory in Ilaya, Las Piñas City.

Villar, who was accompanied by her husband, outgoing Senator Manuel Villar Jr. and her son Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar, expressed hope that the project would be successful and replicated in other parts of the country.

“In processing the unavoidable plastic wastes into something useful, like school chairs, we are not only cleaning and protecting the environment, but we are, at the same time, providing livelihood to the poor, to the workers in the factory who are processing the waste,” she said.

The Villar Foundation has been providing livelihood projects in over 200 towns and cities all over the country.