MANILA, Philippines – According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the Philippines generates an estimated 6875.84 tons of plastic every single day. Most of these plastics end up getting thrown in the streets or river systems, clogging up the waterways and making their way to the oceans where they affect the ecosystem and are eaten by marine creatures.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
Aside from affecting wildlife, plastics also clog the waterways and lead to floods during rainy days.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
To help provide a solution to these perennial problems, a mechanical engineer from Davao City named Winchester Lemen founded Winder Recycling Company. He would eventually run the Envirotech Waste Recycling program which aims to convert plastic waste into adorable school chairs the kids will love to use.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
How the Project Started
Winchester was already into recycling when a visitor asked whether there was a way that plastics could be used to create something that would be useful again. He collected plastic trash from landfills, cleaned these up, and melted the items to create colorful prototypes for the chairs.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
He showed a finished sample to the visitor who promptly ordered 200 of these lovely chairs!
“Little did I know that he showed the chairs to Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista. After that, they created a ‘Green Fund’ for this particular project,” Winchester revealed.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
This became the start of the project that would bring him not just good-paying customers but also praise from netizens for his role in saving the environment as well as helping these school kids have adorable, sturdy chairs made of recycled plastic.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
Aside from school chairs, the recycling company also produces other types of furniture also made of plastic.
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| Photo credit: Winder Recycling Company / Facebook |
For his role in saving the environment, Winchester has received a number of awards and citations. He has also met with President Rodrigo Duterte who praised his endeavors.
— Joy Adalia, The Summit Express
