THE Bantay Dagat Volunteers Association of Davao has taken an innovative approach to tackling marine pollution, converting 920 kilograms of weekly collected marine trash into a valuable resource known as "Eco-blocks."
Bantay Dagat launched the product at Kapehan sa Dabaw, held at SM City Davao on August 7, 2023.
Dubbed "Davao Eco-Saver Blocks" or simply "Eco-blocks," this creative solution is anticipated to generate profits as the President of the Bantay Dagat Executive Board, Raffy Bermejo, bared that suppliers now have the opportunity to opt for the environmentally friendly alternative of these hollow blocks, priced at P13 per piece.
Produced and marketed at the Bantay Dagat recycling facility in Daliao, Toril, Eco-blocks are crafted from a blend of materials. They consist of eight percent shredded and crushed plastic collected by diligent volunteers from various parts of the city, combined with five kilograms of marine waste mixed with cement.
A sack of cement blended with plastic yields an impressive result — 90 robust, heat-resistant hollow cement blocks.
Bermejo highlighted the advantages of these Eco-blocks, noting that their composition is designed to offer enhanced heat insulation compared to traditional cement blocks, all while maintaining the same level of compression strength.
The establishment of Bantay Dagat was facilitated through Executive Order No. 5 Series of 2017, which established the Office of the City Mayor's Ancillary Services Unit (ASU). Collaborating with the United Nations Healthy Oceans and Clean Cities Initiative (HOCCI), the Association secured a P5 million fund from Japan to establish a fully-equipped recycling facility for producing these innovative Eco-blocks.
Bermejo explained, "The (our) role in Davao is to clean up our drainage systems, parks and playgrounds, and coastal riverbanks."
The dedicated volunteers seek the local government's support and the community's active involvement to ensure this initiative's success. Bermejo conveyed their commitment, saying, "Nandito lang po kami, willing po kami masyado tawaging basurero for as long as we can clean up our marine life away from plastic litters (We are here and ready to be labeled 'garbage collectors' if it means safeguarding our marine life from plastic pollution)," Bermejo said. (Charisse Marianne M. Ferolino/NDDU Intern)