Verde Soko finds an ally in green group

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent .

VNS Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corp. on Friday found an ally in an advocate against the illegal dumping of solid wastes, saying that the firm should be allowed to continue recycling plastic materials in an effort to cushion the impact of the country’s growing problem on the disposal of plastic wastes.

Jessica Wu, regional coordinator of the group “Let’s Do It! Philippines,” pointed out that the Philippines is now considered as the third top contributor to plastic waste pollution in the ocean.

“This is because of plastic products we buy from sari-sari stores and malls, including sachets and cellophane,” Wu said.

Wu came over from Iligan City to check on reports that garbage from South Korea found its way into Tagoloan town in Misamis Oriental. She inspected Verde Soko’s plant at Sitio Buguac, Barangay Sta. Cruz in Tagoloan town and based on what she saw there, she concluded that the firm did not violate the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.

“I was contacted to personally check the reports,” said Wu.

She said she was cautious at first, worried that there could be harmful materials. But she said she did not find any hazardous materials in the Verde Soko plant.

Wu conducted the inspection several days after authorities blew the whistle on the shipments. She however did not check on the second shipment at the Mindanao International Container Terminal (MICT) which port collector John Simon said was held because it was clearly garbage.

“Na-alarm ko when I read nga dili gyud siya plastic tanan. That is why when I went here, ako gyud gi-usisa tanan kay careful mi ani kay post-consumption mao pud ang problem sa Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental which cause flooding because our sewage system is full of plastic,” she said.

Wu had kind words for Verde Soko, noting that it is the first plastic recycling plant of its kind in the Philippines and that it could help reduce the level of plastic waste pollution.

She said other than recycling, “we have no other solution to the current crisis on plastic pollution.”

Wu said, “It can’t be denied that improper disposal of garbage is one of the reasons for flooding. If people don’t learn how to properly dispose waste, this problem will continue.”

Wu said laws on material recovery facilities and waste segregation need to be fully implemented.

“Gwapo ang atong environmental laws but we still have a problem with segregation. In malls, I dont think plastic cups and the biodegradable are being properly segregated. No, we don’t. Segregation must start individually,” she said.

Wu belongs to a group that mobilizes volunteers to clean up illegal dumping sites. She is also engaged in climate change work.

Verde Soko president Neil Alburo said the firm is investing US$2 million and put in place 30 machines for the recycling plant that would employ some 450 workers.

“We will process anything… soft plastics. Kadtong dili mahalin sa mga disposal sites like sando bags, mineral water bottles, wrappers and cellophane are the priority. Soft plastics can cause pollution but here, these are our raw materials,” he said.

Alburo said the firm’s present market are plastic manufacturing companies based in South Korea, China and other Asian countries where plastic briquettes are being used as alternative raw materials for coal-operated power plants.

Plastic briquettes, he said, have higher heating value compared to coal and have lesser ash contents.

“Ang coal kung mabasa maka-affect sa iyang heating value but not plastic briquettes even when these are wet. Ang coal mag-mina ka pa and then plastic briquettes, gikan sa recycled waste raw materials,” Alburo said.

He said Verde Soko is also into the recycling of plastic materials into pellets for plastic furniture products like chairs and tables. Plastic pellets comprise 30 percent of the plant’s recycled products.