Dead, dry palm fronds may just be piling up in people's yards, but a father-daughter team has found a way to turn these leaves into reusable plates, bowls, cups, food containers, spoons and forks.
All one needs to do is get in touch with LEAF, which stands for "Local. Eco. Alternative. Future."
LEAF collects fallen palm fronds or leaves, and recycles them free of charge, instead of letting these resources rot, burn or end up as green waste.
It's about cleaning up Guam and reducing its waste "one leaf at a time," said LEAF owner Andrea Murer, who also is creative services manager with The Guam Daily Post.
Murer, one of the guest speakers during the Wednesday meeting of the Mayors' Council of Guam, said the recycled products are 100% biodegradable.
"We want to educate the community, our school kids, just everybody around the island, about what we are doing, letting them know that we are going around, picking up leaves, when we find the time," Murer told mayors.
Community awareness is important, she said, because residents can be iffy about seeing people picking up fallen palm fronds in their neighborhood. LEAF received a grant for more community outreach events.
"I would do anything to recycle them because they're such a very versatile product and I'm only touching the surface of it and if more of the community is ... involved and aware, there's so much more we can create," Murer said, showing photos of the products LEAF has so far made from dry fronds.
Fallen Christmas palm tree, bottle palm tree, royal palm, foxtail palm, areca palm, carpentaria palm, spindle palm and betel nut palm are so far the only types of palm fronds that LEAF has been collecting.
At this point, LEAF continues to test coconut fronds, so they are not part of the process yet, Murer told the mayors.
"Once we pick up the leaves, they are cleaned, sanitized and washed and then they're stored," Murer said.
Those interested in donating their fallen palm fronds or who want these fronds picked up can contact LEAF by email at hello@guamleaf.com or phone at 671-482-0811, Murer said.
Recycling what could end up as green waste into reusable plates and bowls will help reduce Guam's reliance on imported plastic foam and single-use plastic plates, and help protect the environment from these plastics and plastic foam, she said.
Some villages, including Yona, Mangilao and Dededo, have started assisting LEAF in making dead, dry fronds available for recycling.
At the mayors' meeting, MCOG President Jesse Alig and other mayors acknowledged the value of LEAF's recycling initiative and pledged their support to make the endeavor more successful.
Mangilao Vice Mayor Kevin Delgado said it's a "good initiative," while Mangilao Mayor Allan Ungacta said he's proud to see this kind of project.
LEAF also will be working with mayors to see if containers can be placed in villages as a collection point for fallen palm fronds.
"We're going to make something new for the island that's 100% locally made," Murer said.
