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Thursday, October 06, 2005
Port vendors recycle used paper from MEZ firms
By Aurelia l. Castro
Sun.Star Correspondent
Port vendors make money out of computer paper discarded by firms at the Mactan Economic Zone (MEZ).
Mariter Gadir, chairperson of the Alyansa sa mga Kabus sa Pantalan (Alkap), said the group makes souvenir items like baskets, coin banks, tissue paper holder and many others from computer paper wastes.
“This is not just about making money. We also want the government to know that people here in the port area are not all bad and indifferent. We also care about our environment and we want to help the government,” she told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Computer paper
Gadir said they buy about 70 kilos of used computer paper per week from MEZ locators.
One port worker can produce two big baskets a day. The smallest basket is sold for P10 while the biggest is P100.
“As of now, we depend only on orders for the items and availability of the raw materials that we use,” she said.
Buyers of the recycled items come from non-government and government sectors.
Gadir said Alkap plans to tap a bigger market and eventually export, when the opportunity arises. She added that these plans can be achieved when more of members would join the project and help improve production.
Gadir represented the vendors’ sector during the Forum on the Culture of Tourism spearheaded by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Tourism Core Group last Tuesday.
Assure
She assured other tourism players from the government, academe and services sectors during the forum that snatching in the port area, which discourages tourists, is no longer rampant.
“If not totally gone, (but) at least it’s minimized. If snatching (theft) happens, these are most likely done outside the pier,” she said.
Alkap has 981 members. Some of them are residents and vendors in the pier area.
Majority of the members are ambulant vendors while some are trisikad drivers.
Gadir appealed for help in putting up more livelihood projects for vendors at the port area.
“We are not asking the government to feed us because we are capable of working. What we need is (financial) assistance to help us fund our livelihood projects,” she said. (ALC)
(October 6, 2005 issue)
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