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than just a trend, the design showcase of recycled materials
from soda cans and cornhusks to water lilies and fish scales at
the recent government-organized National Trade Fair proves that
waste could also mean wealth for our design-driven
entrepreneurs.
Soda cans were reused and remodeled into
fashion complements by students from the Cavite State
University-College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The Gawad
Kalinga Welfareville community turned water lilies into home
accents. Mussel shells were turned into sparkling holiday décor
by the Noveleta Women’s Cooperative.
Studies show that on the average, a Filipino
generates an estimated half a kilo of garbage everyday. Tin and
aluminum cans constitute five percent of the garbage in Metro
Manila alone. Recycling is a practice that is often used to
reduce these wastes.
"Students (who are business majors but with
creative talent) explored the use of tin cans in design as an
application of their course on environment resource management,"
said Glenn Angelo Alindog, a professor at the Cavite State
University.
The raw materials setting is one of the
highlights of the National Trade Fair recently organized by the
Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for International
Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) together with the Bureau
of Domestic Trade and 1001 Strategies, a product development
consultancy firm.
This CITEM exhibit shows the almost limitless potential of
recyclable natural materials. Creative recycling and use of raw
materials generates livelihood for communities and challenge
designers to come up with practical aesthetic solutions to what
would otherwise be blights on the environment, thus encouraging
the development of new design ideas and conscientious living.
