Students Can Make Cash From Recycling Trash
Students can make a little extra cash this school holidays by collecting recyclable trash and getting paid in exchange, says Bishoy Abdel-Messih of Genuine Waste Recyclers.
The organisation has come up with the Cash for Recyclable Trash programme and set up a tent at the Suva Municipal Market yesterday for the public to turn in their recyclable waste in exchange for cash.
Mr Abdel-Messih said the company planned to hold the event every Saturday between 8am and 6pm at the same location.
“Students can think of their waste collections as little treasures that could be turned into savings,” he said.
“When they are out having fun visiting the beach, cinema or a shopping centre they can spend some time collecting recyclable waste and come turn it into cash.
“It would be great to see young boys and girls getting into this habit and encouraging their parents to do the same.”
Based at Veisari, Lami, Genuine Waste Recyclers has been actively involved in creating recycling avenues for the reduction of materials such as plastics, newspapers, white papers and cardboard since its inception in 2017.
The per kilogram rates for the materials are 10 cents for cardboard, 20 cents for plastics, 15 cents for white paper and 8 cents for newspapers.
They currently bale and ship the material for processing overseas. However, Mr Abdel-Messih hopes to get support from the people and the Government to build local plants in Fiji.
“The people would get much higher rates for their recyclables and the local Fiji industries can get cheap raw material to use as input in their processes, so it would be a big win for the environment and all Fijians,” he added.
Alex Tsui, who came with wife Jesse and their two young children to recycle some plastic bottles, emphasised the importance of including children in such activities.
“We learned from a friend that there was a group who were accepting recyclable trash and so we got the kids involved in collecting plastic bottles to bring here,” he said.
“The environmental projects that we do is for the sole purpose of saving the planet for our future generations so they have to understand this and not take things for granted.”
The Tsui family is from Hong Kong and is on vacation in Fiji for six weeks.
Edited by Epineri Vula
