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Sharing Need Be a "Big Time" Effort
Posted on Thursday, 21 January 2016
Sharing
Need Not Be a “Big Time” Effort
By Apolinario Villalobos
I ask from friends and collect myself, what
others consider as “trash” – empty rice bags, used shopping plastic bags, brown
paper bags, net bags, used tarpaulins, empty jars, lengths of straw rope, etc.
– to be distributed among my friends who sell recyclable junks and vegetables
by the pile on sidewalks. They are called “buraot” vendors and the “buraot”
refers to the junks and wilting vegetables that they sell. Some of them keep
the brown paper bags to be used by their children as book covers, and the
sturdy plastic grocery bags as “school bags”. On the other hand, the rice bags
have many uses, one of which is safekeeping of things in the absence of decent
bags that are sold in department stores.
It takes me about two weeks to be able to
collect a sizeable volume of these various “treasures”, classify the plastic
bags according to size, carefully fold them and finally apportion them together
with the rest of the items among the pre-identified recipients for easy
distribution. I am most glad if I am able to collect big plastic cover of refs
and washing machines because they can be used as extended roof for “kariton
(pushcart) home” of my friends. I taught them to fold big plastic bags in such
a way that they can be used as “rain coat”. I used to do that when I was in
elementary during which I would scavenge the garbage dump of a bakery in our
town for recyclable junks especially plastic bags.
One time, a friend in California, “Perla”
sent plenty of blue tarps that went straight to sidewalk and “kariton”
dwellers. But I told her to stop sending such kind of item because I met a
couple who sell “tinseled” bags of condiments that when spread by slicing open
the two sides can serve the purpose of a mat, as well as, protection against
the rain – for just Php20.00 apiece.
Every time I come home from shopping, I see
to it that the bags, both made of plastic and brown paper are properly folded
and set aside instead of tossing them into the garbage basket. The brown bag
can also be used in keeping extra portions of vegetables before storing them in
the ref. Also, I am not ashamed in picking up lengths of straw ropes from the
ground while shopping in outdoor shopping areas such as Baclaran and Quiapo, as
they are also needed by my friends in tying things that they always bring along
with them. As a recycling advocate, I had been doing this for more than thirty
years now.
Every time I hit the road for my random
acts of sharing my backpack is full of these “treasures”, aside from Skyflakes
crackers and home-cooked pudding for sharing. I just want to show that sharing
blessings need not be a “big time” effort that involves a lot of money. If I can do
it, I am sure others can do it, too. Those interested to do the same can start
with the plastic bags that can be collected and given to their favorite vendor
in the market….by doing so, we also help Mother Nature as the plastic bags that
we recycle are prevented from clogging esteros or canals.
