Residents from the Philippine city of Binan are mixing ash spewed from the Taal volcano with plastic waste to make bricks and rebuild houses and schools.

After the Taal volcano erupted last week, environmental officials in the region tried to come up with an inventive and more sustainable response to the country's persistent problems with pollution and frequent natural disasters.

"Instead of just piling up the ashfall somewhere, we are able to turn it into something useful. And it includes plastics, too," said city environmental officer Rodelio Lee.

The mayor of Binan asked residents to collect the fine gray ash shrouding homes, cars and roads and put it in sacks to be sent to a state-owned factory.

The ash is then combined with sand, cement and discarded plastic to create around 5,000 bricks per day for local building projects damaged since Taal.

"When the ash came, we thought we'd exchange the white sand which we mix with plastics to be converted into bricks with ash. We did it and they came out sturdy," city Mayor Walfredo Dimaguila told Reuters.

"What we plan is to turn them into hollow blocks and bricks and sell them to interested companies," he said, adding that the proceeds would be donated to residents affected by the volcano.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Making an escape A family living near the Taal volcano evacuates Lemery, Batangas City. Over 16,000 people were evacuated from areas surrounding the eruption on Monday.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Covered in dust Ashfall after the eruption of the Taal volcano covers Tagaytay City on Monday. Facemasks sold out in cities across Luzon, while over 500 flights from Manila's international airport were canceled. One person also died following a car crash due to zero-visibility conditions on the road.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Rains of ash, mud and stones In the nearby town of Talisay, ordinary umbrellas were no use against the thick ash, mud and even stones that began to rain down as people prepared for evacuation. The volcano lies around 65 kilometers (45 miles) south of the capital, Manila, where some parts of the city have also enacted mandatory evacuation orders.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures 'Explosive eruption' Taal is one of the world's smallest active volcanoes, but also one of the most active in the Philippines — although it has not erupted since 1977. An eruption in 1911 claimed more than 1,000 lives, and authorities have warned of a possible "explosive eruption" to come.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Thousands forced to leave More than 8,000 people were ordered to evacuate from the Cavite province between Manila and Taal on Sunday. The area next to the small volcano is a tourist attraction, bringing thousands to the area. Over 6,000 had successfully left the area by Sunday evening.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Flights disrupted The huge column of ash, which was struck by lightning on Sunday evening, also caused all flights in and out of Manila's international airport to be suspended. The Philippine Institute of of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to four out of five, meaning that a hazardous eruption could take place at any time.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Immense column of smoke Residents watched from afar as Taal Volcano in the Philippines spewed smoke to heights of up to 15 kilometers (9 miles) on Sunday. Seismologists have predicted a major eruption. Villages on the edge of the lake where the volcano is located have been evacuated.

Philippines: Taal Volcano spews ash — in pictures Ash covers everything Ash has mixed with rainwater, covering residents trying to evacuate. People in the Philippines are painfully aware of the havoc that nature can wreak, after a typhoon over Christmas destroyed homes and claimed lives. Author: Elliot Douglas



Read more: Amid plastic deluge, Southeast Asia refuses Western waste

Sustainable solutions

The Philippines also faces a waste crisis, with a 2019 report saying the country uses a "shocking" amount of single-use plastic and that almost 60 billion throwaway sachets were used.

Taal, located on the island of Luzon, is one of the Philippines' most active and deadliest volcanoes. The restive volcano began spewing ash, gas and steam on January 12.

The Philippines, positioned on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" zone of seismic activity, faces periodic volcanic eruptions.

Read more: How dangerous are bushfires and volcanic ash for the lungs?

Rebuilding lives one brick at a time

Several buildings close to the Taal volcano were destroyed as heavy ash crushed makeshift roofs and knocked over trees. Jets of lava and 15-km (9-mile) walls of ash have sent more than 100,000 people into emergency evacuation centers

Authorities warn that a much more serious eruption could happen anytime.

"When [neighboring] Batangas is in recovery, we will bring the bricks there for building schools, community halls and livelihood centers so that we can give back what Taal has given us," Dimaguila said. "The misfortune of our neighbors in Batangas is there. Let's transform this into opportunity."

Watch video 01:42 Share The Philippines volcano Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3WEkQ The Philippines remains on alert for volcanic activity

mvb/ng (AFP, Reuters)

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