Mandaue mother sets sights on scrap yard, trash income

A couple who believes in the saying “there’s money in trash” dreams of setting up their own scrapyard someday.

Luzviminda Sayson, 44,  of barangay Subangdaku and her husband have been collecting recyclable materials  and selling them to scrap dealers since 2005.

Before this, Luzviminda accepted laundry jobs and her husband did carpentry work but their  income was not enough to raise their family of six.

In 2005, the couple decided to try collecting scrap metal in garbage bins in Mandaue City.

Everyday they would set out early to look for whatever they could  salvage in the garbage to sell  to scrap metal dealers.

As early as 5 a.m., the couple would have breakfast and then set off for the day’s hunt.

They collected metal scraps, plastic and glass bottles, and cans to sell at the end of the day.

Prices for the collected recyclables varied  from dealer to dealer.

“Some would only buy plastic bottles or just cans. In a day we would earn at least P200,” said Sayson.

Although  their livelihood as scrap collectors  is viewed as a “dirty” enterprise, the couple said they don’t mind dealing with trash  because at the end of the day they earn money to support their family.

Sayson said it was useless being picky with what they to earn as a living because they didn’t finish  high school.

“We  tell our children that hard work will always be repaid with higher earnings so no matter what job they have in the  future, they should all work hard,” she said.

Sayson said she and her husband promised to do their best to let their children get an education so they can get better jobs and earn more for their family.

She said they plan to set up their own junk yard to earn more from scrap metal and recyclable items.

“We will need weighing scales and have  to know the latest prices of scrap materials,”  said the mother.

Sayson was one of the top 23 women entrepreneurs selected in last year’s Mandaue Business Month Search for WINNERS or Women In Need Now Entrepreneurs and Role models.

During the search, Sayson said that she learned a lot from the seminars and met  fellow entrepreneurs who  taught her other ways to earn money.

“While our goal is to set up our own scrapyard, I think I can also find other ways to earn money like selling food so I can  save money and start the scrap yard,” said Sayson.

The  second Search for WINNERS will be run in this year’s Mandaue Business Month celebration said president Eric Ng Mendoza in his speech during the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry General Membership Meeting last week.

He said the chamber wants to empower more  women entrepreneurs and their communities to address  unemployment.