ANGONO, Rizal – The Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Council in this town has led a program of bartering recyclable plastic bottles for rice, canned goods, face masks, face shields, or free printing of school materials.
According to SK Angono Federation president, former child actor Bernard Joecel “BJ Tolits” Forbes, he thought of offering the concept of bartering recyclables to his fellow youth sector members in Barangay San Isidro to help the local government’s Zero Basura (Zero Trash) program. This is also to help others through the items traded for recyclables they surrendered to the SK San Isidro office.
Since its launch in August during the Linggo ng Kabataan (Youth Week), the “Barter Recycle” project of SK San Isidro has generated more than 11,000 pieces of recyclable bottles, almost filling up the conference room and SK office.
This is SK San Isidro’s Barter Recycle Chart:
· 5 Bottles = 5 face masks and 1 biscuit
· 10 Bottles = 10 face masks and 1 face shield
· 20 Bottles= 15 face masks and 2 face shields
· 50 Bottles = 1 kilo of rice and 1 canned food
Forbes, who is also an ex-officio municipal councilor, recalled that last month, a mother from a poor family was very happy to have redeemed several canned goods and rice in exchange for the bottles she bartered.
Another resident went to the SK San Isidro office to trade 1,600 empty bottles earning him a box full of canned goods and rice, Forbes said.
“Our aim is for the people of Angono, especially the youth, to see the benefits of waste segregation and recycling right in their respective homes. Imagine what will happen if these empty bottles ended up in our waterways instead?” Forbes said.
He also said that the concept of recycling in communities has long been a practice among his townmates since then mayor, and now Vice Mayor Gerardo Calderon, implemented the Solid Waste Management Program and his Zero Basura project. The town’s former dumpsite was transformed into an Ecological Solid Waste Management Park where the Materials Recovery Facility is located.
Several residents turn over their empty bottles daily to the SK San Isidro office for the barter program, which SK Angono hopes to be adopted by other villages and towns in the province.
SK San Roque and SK Kalayaan (all in Angono) have also similar barter program. Aside from face protection, SK Kalayaan offers free use of its printer for students.