Coco recycling plant launched

CEBU, Philippines - The “private dumpsite” near the closed barangay Umapad dumpsite, which a politician had earlier alleged as belonging to Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, is a coconut recycling plant.

Last Monday, the biggest coconut decorticating plant in Central Visayas was launched.

Edmund Sanchez, proprietor of the facility, demonstrated how his machine processes waste coconut husks into coco fibers, then twined and woven into a product called “Geo net.”

This product is highly in demand in China to cover their desert areas to prevent erosion during sandstorms.

Sanchez, a relative of Mayor Jonas Cortes and former city hall consultant, said the product which is bio-degradable is planted with assorted kind of trees making the desert green.

However he said he will cater first to the local needs through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which would need geo nets to prevent river erosions and drainage projects.

Another by-product of the process is the coco peat, which is highly in demand in Japan for hydroponic farming.

According to Sanchez, the machine will be operating at its full capacity of 8 hours per day one month from now. It can recycle 3,000 waste husks per hour.

He said the husks have to be dried for a month and a half before feeding these to the machine, adding this is the reason why his 10,000 hectare property is filled with mounds of waste coco husks from an exporting firm in Mandaue.

This company, he said, is giving its waste coco husks to him.

However, the volume which is five truckloads a day or 15,000 husks a day is not enough.

Once fully operational, these mounds of coco husks which are the subject of a complaint by a local opposition politician will be leveled in just a matter of two to three weeks.

Aurora Lamberto Paquibot, project development officer of Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), has lauded the project saying this adds value to coconut trees and will generate local employment.

And this is the reason why the PCA has granted Sanchez a permit.

Former scavengers as well as informal settlers of the 6.5 hectare relocation site in barangay Paknaan work at the plant.  (FREEMAN)