PLASTIC WASTES TO FURNITURE. The barangay council and residents of Barangay Ariston East Asingan town in Pangasinan turn the collected plastic wastes into useful things such as a sofa. The plastic wastes were collected from residents in exchange for rice or grocery items. (Photo courtesy of PIO Asingan)
ASINGAN, Pangasinan – Residents of Barangay Ariston East here have turned plastic wastes into sofa, coffee table, plant boxes, and walls for their eco-park during the community quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In an interview on Tuesday, barangay captain Rene Villanueva said they have been collecting plastic wastes such as shampoo sachets, sando bags, among others, from the residents in their community in exchange for rice or grocery items since 2018.
“We were then advised to build a material recovery facility, but the volume of plastic wastes we collected was overwhelming so we thought of other ways to reduce it,” he said.
Villanueva said during the quarantine since March this year, they had time to build different products out of the collected plastic wastes.
Barangay Ariston East’s officials and residents were able to build a sofa and coffee table, as well as eco-bricks for their mini-park in their community.
Some of the collected plastic wastes were cut into pieces and bottled in 1.5-liter empty plastic soda bottles, which were stocked together or placed side by side to form the base of the sofa or coffee table or eco-bricks wall.
“We are planning to build a comfort room from these eco-bricks,” Villanueva said.
Barangay Ariston East was the representative of Pangasinan in the national level search for the barangay with the best sanitation in 2017.
The barangay was awarded second runner-up in the provincial search for the cleanest, safest, and greenest barangay in 2015. (PNA)
