Junk art figures made of recyclable plastic bottles are displayed along the Subic Bay Freeport waterfront in this file photo by Malou Dungog
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority will encourage the youth in the Subic Bay community to turn waste products into junk art, a contemporary art subgenre that uses found objects as art materials, in the upcoming 10th Recyclables Collection Event (RCE).
SBMA Ecology Center manager Amethya dela Llana said the upcycling project, aptly named “From Scrap to Craft,” will use wastes collected from coastal and river clean-up and other recycling activities and convert them into junk art.
“Trash are just resources out of place. And with this project, we can show the community that certain materials that we normally throw away could be turned into art pieces that would not just be Instagram-worthy but could even be sold for extra income,” Dela Llana said.
She said the SBMA will also provide cash prizes for the best “From Scrap to Craft” entries to encourage more participants and introduce the idea that upcycling could be profitable and worth their time.
The junk art contest is just one part of the 10th RCE, which is scheduled on November 15 to 19. With the theme “REFUSE. REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE. REPURPOSE,” the event will feature various activities that promote waste reduction and segregation, teach proper collection and disposal of recyclables and hazardous wastes, and increase awareness in waste management.
Dela Llana said the SBMA has been organizing recyclables collection as a bi-annual event in the Subic Bay Freeport with the cooperation of business locators, residents, government agencies and private groups.
Another component of the upcoming RCE is the “Refill Revolution for a Cause”, which will be a bazaar sale of cleaning products. Stakeholders can buy detergent, laundry soap, fabric conditioner, dishwashing liquid, and hand soap by the bulk, but they need to bring their own containers, Dela Lllana added.
Accredited haulers and hazardous waste handlers will also collect PET bottles, cartons, scrap metals, newspapers, and aluminum cans; plastic packaging from online and retail stores; glass bottles; wastes from electronics and electrical equipment; biomedical wastes; used oils and oil-contaminated materials; used lead acid batteries; busted fluorescent/lamp bulbs; empty containers; inks and dyes; paint sludge; as well as expired make-up.
The RCE will also be a venue for an information, education and communication campaign on waste management to be conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan.
Meanwhile, partner groups Subic Bay Freeport Chamber of Commerce and RP Energy, Inc. will also use the event as a springboard for assistance to local schools and aangguniang kabataan units in the neighboring communities of Olongapo City, Zambales, and Bataan.
Dela Llana said the various activities under RCE are crucial interventions to protect the local environment and help promote health and wellness among Subic stakeholders.
The Philippines ranked third in 2015 among the highest sources of plastic pollution in global waters, after China and Indonesia, DENR records show. It is estimated that 31.9 million metric tons of plastic pollution are produced around the world each year, and about a quarter of that volume ends up in bodies of water.
