SM ‘waste trading’ market endorsed

A project that trades scrap material for cash or goods is being endorsed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), as the 2007 Waste Trading Market of SM Supermalls opened yesterday.

"Gather those scrap paper, empty plastic bottles and tin cans, and trade them in for food or cash," Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes urged the public yesterday.

"This will help clean the environment, boost the economy through recycling and provide food or cash benefits for the participants," he said.

Reyes said individuals and companies could exchange their scrap materials with cash and other merchandise at the 2007 Waste Trading Market at the SM Southmall in Las Piñas City.

The environment chief commended the project as a practical way to persuade the public to recycle their waste and to trade those that can be recycled for cash or food.

Recyclable items, he said, like paper, cardboard, empty ink and toner cartridges, plastic bottles and used lead acid batteries can be traded for various paper products, plastic household items and check-up coupons for batteries.

The waste market also offers to buy junk electrical equipment and appliances, used PET plastic bottles and aluminum or tin cans. It will also serve as a drop-off area for polystyrene or Styrofoam scrap, and cell phone batteries.

The waste market was organized by the SM Supermalls in partnership with the Philippine Business for Environment and the DENR. It is located at the SM Southmall West Parking grounds, and participants can trade in their scrap materials from 8 am to 2 pm.

The project is part of a series of waste trading markets organized by SM Southmall in support of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

RA 9003 calls for "practical applications of environmentally sound techniques of waste minimization such as segregation, recycling, resource recovery, re-use and composting." - Perseus Echeminada