The World Of Tzu Chi(Vol.112)

TZU CHI 112 07 Tireless efforts for a worthy cause Back when a Tzu Chi recycling point was newly established in her neighbourhood, Yet May was introduced to recycling work by the volunteers. She started off by sorting household waste for recycling before progressing to sending the recyclables collected to the recycling point on Recycling Day every month and participating in the sorting process with the volunteers. She gradually expanded her efforts to the neighbouring blocks, collecting recyclables from floor to floor. As time passed, the residents took notice of her involvement in recycling work and began to compile their recyclables for her collection. She collects recyclables from various locations – at home, other homes and shops in her neighbourhood, at different points on her way to work, and even the restaurant where she works in. Initially, she collected waste paper, cardboard scraps and used clothes. Later, she also collected glass bottles and plastic products in her collection rounds. As she branched out into a more diverse range of recyclable items, the volume of recyclable waste she had to manage inevitably increased as well. The accumulating pile of recyclables eventually posed a problem for Yet May, as it occupied increasing space in her apartment, which is already starved for space to begin with. However, she found a solution in fellow recycling volunteer, Chan Yuet Chun, who lives in the same apartment. Yet May would deposit her recyclables at the designated space in Yuet Chun’s unit to solve her storage woes, besides reducing the load of recyclables to be hauled back to her unit. The area Yet May allocated for the storage of recyclables extends from her doorstep to the nearest stairwell, and continues to the neighbouring stairwell and the vacant space beside it, before ending at the open space outside the restaurant where she works. Despite space constraints in her apartment unit, Yet May has fully utilized the space outside by dividing it into three main storage areas as well as several temporary storage zones. Cultivating lifelong wisdom Yet May spends most of her time outside of work sorting recyclables at the outdoor storage site. She would settle herself on a bench beneath a tree and immerse herself in the task of organizing and sorting recyclables. To protect recyclable paper products from the elements, Yet May would store them in waterproof plastic and polystyrene containers found among the waste. “I decided to store paper products in containers to keep them dry when it rains, and to enable easier handling for collection by the volunteers at the end of the month,” she explained. She would fold the paper products into more compact sizes that fit into the containers to minimize the risk of damage to the recyclables, besides reducing the volunteers’ burden. This rigorous process of handling recyclables proved time- consuming and strenuous, considering Yet May’s physical limitations. When faced with situation where there were garbage among the recyclables, Yet May would patiently separate the recyclables from the general waste and dispose of the latter in garbage bins. Some residents complained that the litter affects the appearance of the surroundings, OneStepataTime SavingtheEnvironment