The UCLM Materials Recovery Facility and the Eco Scholarship

One of our institutional community extension programs in the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, Mandaue City, Cebu, Philippines is our UCLM CARES Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). It is one of our initiatives to address solid waste management in the university. This facility has 4 compartments: paper, boxes, tin cans, and plastic bottles. This facility also includes a composting pit area.

Janitors segregate these recyclables from our canteens, classrooms, laboratories, and other school facilities. Segregated paper, boxes, tin cans, plastic bottles, and biodegradable wastes are sent to the MRF. On a weekly basis, these recyclables are sold to junk shops.

We started our journey in June 2017. To help our janitors, we hired 20 residents from Village Looc, Mandaue City, Cebu to serve as segregators. From the income that we generate weekly, 50% goes to the 20 residents and 50% to the funds of UCLM CARES MRF. It became a source of income for the 20 residents. The first three months was quite frustrating. Each resident was receiving from two to twenty US dollars weekly income.

But as time went by, faculty and students saw the importance of segregating these recyclables to help the segregators. On our fourth month, we saw a rise in sales. By the end of 6 months, we reached the total sales of 1,600 US dollars.

Then we saw the need to assign supervisors in the MRF. With this need, we implemented the Eco Scholarship. In this scholarship, a student would supervise the segregators for 4 hours. His/her tuition fees, miscellaneous fees and daily allowance was paid through the sales of recyclables. Since we hired Eco Scholars, we revised the profit sharing as: 50% Eco Scholarship, 25% Janitors, and 25% for the residents.

With the help of the entire university, we reached the total sales of 3,200 US dollars in one year. We are now on our 2nd year of operations. We have a total of 4 Eco Scholars and the hired residents are beneficiaries of this income-generating project.