ECOBRICKS: WASTE MANAGEMENT IN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Ai-Let R. Castro1* and Kayshe Joy F. Pelingon1
1Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Region X, Cagayan de Oro City
*E-maill: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABSTRACT
As the country continually faces the challenges of solid waste management, an idea of turning plastic sachets into ecobricks as construction or building materials was conceptualized by Green Antz in 2013. This materialized and earned its spot in the construction industry. Republic Cement Mindanao Inc. (RCMI), being an advocate of responsible mining, adopted and implemented this idea. Ecobricks making became a pet project of RCMI that aims to uplift the economic living condition of the people affected by its operations and at the same time contribute to efficient solid waste management. Series of training were given to identified individuals in the community, specifically in Barangay Kiwalan, Iligan City, as the host mining community. The Barangay LGU then organized an interim association named as Kiwalan Ecobricks Association. The project officially kicked-off in February 2022, opening its products to the local market making use of social media. This paper aims to identify the perceived challenges and opportunities of the SDMP livelihood program such as formulating, enhancing, and identifying other strategies in sustaining the ecobricks project as a community-based microenterprise. This paper was able to determine the challenges, strategies and opportunities of ecobricks making as a sustainable livelihood program of Barangay Kiwalan. The program implementers perceived the livelihood program to be helpful in the aspect of social and human assets because they are given the control and autonomy on the processes and develop their sense of duty and responsibility. However, the lack of information dissemination, sales and marketing strategy, and the expensive price of the product should be evaluated. Further, the use of other inorganic materials (e.g. cardboard, tetrapack) to use as fillers should also be studied for future research.