Republik Junk: Ang Trash to Cash Partner ng Bayan

Every day there are tons of recyclable materials waiting to be collected that become mere garbage and left unnoticed in trash cans, landfills, and even along the streets and on canals that not only look unpleasant but also have a negative impact on the environment.

Yes, at times they are collected by local collectors to sell to junk shops around the city, and Republik Junk is one of those who collect them, but in a more efficient and modern way that provides convenience to us homeowners with just a few clicks away.

4 years ago in an event at Xavier University, Hope Cariño sole proprietor and founder of “Republik Junk: Ang Trash to Cash Partner ng Bayan“ joined a start-up event in Cagayan de Oro where they had to “hack” a problem and create a viable business solution around it.

“I was thinking why not make a yellow page of junk shops in CDO City for easier disposal of recyclable wastes plus maka-earn pa. Then Trashvocacy – Your Junk Disposal Buddy was born,” Cariño shared.

Cariño created a Facebook page and posted all the junkshops he could find. When he realized there were gaps and to address the gap he pivoted and rebranded. He said before junkshops would collect the waste it must meet their preferred volume. He realized the community needed a logistical structure to dispose of the recyclable waste that would be more convenient for them.

In June 2021, Republik Junk – Ang Trash to Cash Partner ng Bayan was registered as a scrap retailer based in Cagayan de Oro City under the trade name Republika Junk and Scrap Trading. 

Republik Junk offers a scheduled doorstep Trash-to-Cash Collection and Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Monetization of junk, scrap, and other marketable recyclable wastes to residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial sectors.  

MODERN-DAY MANGANGALAKAL NG BASURA.

Aside from having a booking system via their FB page, Cariño said “we don’t leave Kagay-anon eco-warriors clueless.”

Their “CPR” approach is what makes them unique.

CLARITY – “Republik Junk has bridged the gap of information asymmetry in micro junk trading. As seen on our Facebook page pinned post section, we have displayed our pickup buying rates and what recyclables we can also pick up.”

PROFESSIONALISM – “For years there has been a push from various organizations to formalize the informal sector. So, what I did was to professionalize how we look just like any other formal profession does. We use hand gloves and wear long sleeves as our PPE with Republik Junk print on it.”

RELIABILITY – “Reliability in the sense that WE WILL NOT LEAVE THE USERS OF OUR SERVICE CLUELESS. Og amo paliton, kabalo mo pila, og dili namo ma-pickup, mag suggest mi og disposal options.” 

Unlike some of your regular junk shops or collectors you have encountered in the past they offer receipts. 

“Also, we have a Transmittal Form/Purchase Receipt that we hand to our users for every transaction that surprises them. Makaingon sila na “ah documentado jud ha…” 

EARLY STRUGGLES

The success they have now did not come without its fair share of challenges. He recalls “When I started, the process was to receive bookings for pickup on my Facebook page that I set up, and after consolidating them. I then contacted any junk peddlers to schedule a pickup of the consolidated bookings. If muhatag sila og share, maayo. Og dili din maayo nalang japon kay ila gi-pickup. There were instances nga gaka indian ko sakong makasabot na junk peddler. So, medyo maulawan ko sa nag book.”

One other instance Cariño experienced was when he was in Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro that his junk peddler was a no-show. And he had to pedal (bicycle) his way to Zayas, Carmen because he had already promised to pick up the materials because he wanted to maintain his CPR and show the client the company was reliable. 

“I then realized to live up to our CPR values, I needed to have complete control over my schedule. Thank God, my parents have seen my dedication and invested by purchasing a bonggo. From then, og naay magpa book, I don’t have to panic and scramble if wala’y junk peddler na musugot or mutunga.” 

Although the company has yet to earn a major income, the company is striving and working on several areas to earn aside from trash-to-cash collection. According to Cariño, Republik Junk is not only a business for him, but also an advocacy to help provide income to others, encourage households and communities to recycle, and a way to help the environment.

“The thought that there is an undeniable need for a reliable disposal option not just for recyclable wastes but also for secondhand items. Hopefully, we can serve the market soon once we are sustainable,” he said.

Regretfully due to the increase in petroleum prices the company has halted its door-to-door collection service. “Households and offices na bookings, until further notice. As of now, we are pushing for MRF trash-to-cash collections or bulk trash-to-cash collections. Storage area is something that I want to have soon, but for now, Republik Junk would like to empower the MRF Drop-Off Units in the city as a cash-generating tool,” Cariño said.

PROGRAMS

Aside from its CPR, Republik Junk values community engagement as key to resolving solid waste mismanagement. They currently launched a “Communal Trash-to-Cash Bins program,” a community-based waste diversion and income generation activity at the source. 

The initiative is one of the chosen circular projects that received support from Save Philippines Seas (SPS) and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines from the recently held Reimagine Recycling 3, a circular economy hackathon. 

“In the program, we have inked partnerships with Home Owners Association (HOA), Condo Corporations, and a beach Resort. What happens is we guide them by providing IEC materials and buy all the marketable recyclable wastes deposited in the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Drop-Off Unit. The proceeds gained from junk trading are used to finance miscellaneous activities or projects,” Cariño said.

As of this writing, the said program caters to 5 communities and 2 communities for the usual trash to cash collections.

BE A PARTNER

In relation to Section 32: The establishment of Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in every barangay or cluster of barangays of RA 9003: Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, Republik Junk is now advocating for further utilization of the existing Material Recovery Facility (MRF) or Material Recovery Facility (MRF) Drop-Off Unit in the city through a trash-to-cash scheme. 

“We are also in search of communities who would like to regularly earn from their MRF or MRF Drop-Off Unit. For communities that have dormant/idle MRF Drop-Off Units, we are ready to collaborate and ink a trash-to-cash program,” Carino said.

REPUBLIK JUNK

“Residents can opt for any of our services, either the traditional junk peddlers or Republik Junk because the traditional way still works, but has a ceiling because it’s traditional. What Republik Junk aspires is to break that conventional ceiling by establishing a platform where communities (waste generators) and the informal waste sectors like junk peddlers can establish standardized transactions and once in for all we can put recyclable wastes back into the recyclable loop properly, promptly, and profitably,” Cariño concluded.