Recycling project to convert waste papers into fuel bricks

By BONG PEDALINO
June 27, 2010

MAASIN CITY  –  Have waste papers, and this city will turn it into shredded pieces to be molded into rounded fuel bricks, or somewhat like a white charcoal, to be used for cooking.

This much was observed in a demonstration activity Friday morning at the city motorpool area, where a big crusher or shredder churned out tons of pre-wetted garbage papers for further processing into a round mold about one-inch thick and about four inches in diameter.

The resulting recycled finished product, which was usually burned in bulk if not treated in this manner, will be used mainly as a fuel in much the same way an ordinary coconut or wood charcoal is used as burning fuel for cooking in the kitchen.

The project, which is being closely coordinated with Congressman Roger Mercado’s office and Gov. Damian Mercado, is still in its preliminary stages preparatory to be introduced into the market as a substitute for commercial charcoal the soonest time possible.

But aside from recycling ready-to-burned bundles of papers especially those coming from local banks, the project has a rider benefit: for every kilo of to-be-disposed paper given by banks or any other office, a tree seedling will be exchanged, ready for planting, according to Nelson Enojo, a staff at the Congressman’s office.

The double, pro-environment effect is obvious, because as waste papers are recycled, trees are consequently planted, Enojo told PIA.

In the demonstration, a medium-sized stockpot full of “escalante” bananas was cooked using the paper brickettes as fuel, and the fire and heat generated surely did the job as much as the common “uling” can.

Present during the activity were Engr. Dominador Clavejo, provincial head of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Gomer Paz, Branch Manager of Philippine National Bank (PNB) and concurrent President of the Southern Leyte Bankers Club.