Davao Recycling Company Converts Plastic Waste into Building Materials

In Davao City, a recycling company transforms single-use plastic trash into useful materials such as school chairs, floor tiles, bricks, planks, and pavers.

This is what Envirotech Waste Recycling does, they collect single-use plastic trash such as candy wrappers, shopping bags, plastic bags, straws, shampoo sachets, junk food packaging and turn them into furniture and building materials.

Winchester Lemen, the recycling company’s owner, shared how he saw an opportunity upon seeing the amount of plastic waste that ends up in landfills. From that, he decided to put up a recycling plant in his hometown and started collecting all the plastic waste from a landfill nearby.

By 2017, school chairs were now being transformed using recycled plastic. While some efforts are having a cafeteria with plastic-free materials, Envirotech turns single-use plastic around to create school chairs.

Their recycled school chairs became popular and received attention from the media. And because of his ideals, big companies and politicians integrated it into their corporate social responsibility campaigns.

With the success of the recycled school chairs project, the business has also ventured into manufacturing essential building materials such as tiles, bricks, planks, and pavers.

Before the year ends, Engr. Lemen wants to finish his latest project which he calls the EnviroHome.

It is a 28-sqm. house that will be made out of 85-90% plastic waste.

“We will need at least three tons of plastic waste or three thousand kilos of single-use plastic to build one [28-sqm.] house.”

“We have started the project by making floor tiles and planks that will support the house’s foundation. We are trying to make each component of the house including the ceiling and roofing, which will all be made of plastic waste.”

Made sustainably

EnviroHome is designed to meet the needs of families living in remote areas. With its size of 28-sqm., it will also be equipped with solar lights and a water generator that will have the capacity to extract water from humid ambient air and each unit is expected to cost around Php 280,000 to Php 380,000.

“It will take one day to build and can last for 20 years or so with free replaceable parts,” said Engr. Lemen.

Every problem has a solution

In response to the country’s 5.7 million housing backlog, the Filipino engineer believes that this EnviroHome project is the quickest possible solution. He also sees this is an opportunity to address the country’s problem with single-use plastics.

According to a recent audit report, the Philippines uses nearly 60 billion sachets a year.

Also, more than half of non-recyclable plastic analyzed in the survey came from sachets-the small packets that are often lined with aluminum or containing other materials that make them non-recyclable.

Lemen’s mechanical engineering background helped him develop machines that will allow him to recycle products that are considered non-recyclable.

Part of Lemen’s advocacy is to build more partnerships with various local government units to set-up recycling plants in their communities. He hopes to reach out to more communities and get them involved and inspired to recycle.

In our own small ways, we can ensure that no more plastic waste will end up in landfills, he encourages people to sort their household waste properly and recycle things that can still be recycled at-source.

“I hope people will learn to recycle and sort their trash at home or at source, so it will be easier for garbage collectors and recycling companies [like us] to convert them to useful materials.”

via SBS Australia / Roda Masinag