Village officials weigh plastic discards being traded for rice in District 2, Cauayan City. PHOTO BY VILLAMOR VISAYA JR
CAUAYAN CITY, Isabela鈥擜t a village here, plastics have become legal tender for one of the most basic commodities in every Filipino household鈥攔ice.
Residents of the village called Disrrict 2 have been turning over all sorts of plastic discards鈥攂ags, bottles and wrappers鈥攗nder a waste segregation project that rewards the villagers with rice.
鈥淥ur program has been very effective,鈥� said Paolo Eleazar Delmendo, village captain.
There would be no shortage of plastic wastes as the village, according to Delmendo, 鈥渋s surrounded by business establishments.鈥�
The people have learned to segregate plastics from their garbage after realizing that it pays, Delmendo said.
鈥淎side from that, poor-but-industrious villagers who need rice have nothing to worry about,鈥� he added.
Two kilograms of plastic bottles or 3 kg of assorted plastic bags can be traded for 1 kg of rice at a booth in front of the village hal, Delmendo said. VILLAMOR VISAYA JR (Editor: Tony Bergonia)