Recycled glass bottles provide livelihood for Taytay craftsmen

Posted at 4:43 pm November 25, 2010

Tags: Furniture

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By KC Santos

TAYTAY, RIZAL – This town’s skilled glass blowers are earning a livelihood by turning recycled glass bottles into export-quality lamps and chandeliers.

Aztec, an exporter of lamps, has employed many craftsmen most of whom were laid off when numerous glass factories in Taytay had to close shop, according to Raymond Morales, who owns the company.

Raymond says the company devised a way to make use of broken softdrink bottles and turn these wastes into stylish lamps and chandeliers.

He stressed that the precision and skill of glass blowers is put in use, as these craftsmen blow air straight into the melted glass to achieve the intricate designs

The scrap softdrink bottles are collected from junk shop operators.

When asked why the company uses recycled glass, Raymond quips that although “virgin” glass, or glass made from chemicals is a better raw material, it is not as economical and environment-friendly as the humble softdrink bottle.

In bazaars, Raymond sells export overruns of their bottle lamps. One can buy a small lamp for only 700 pesos, while bigger lamps are sold at around 3500 pesos . The cost is fair enough considering how beneficial the business is to both the glass blowers and the environment, Raymond says.

Despite being largely affected by the seemingly lingering remnants of the global economic crisis, Raymond says their business will remain intact as it has managed to keep glass blowers employed for over 18 years now.

“We have more access to recyclable materials. Let’s make use of it more and help the people depending on it,” he says.

Their glass lamps are now being sold at the Christmas Shop Expo at the World Trade Center which will run until November 29.

For orders and inquiries, contact Mike Morales at (0917) 8500212 or email Aztec at aztecph@yahoo.com.