Tax Appeals office head Eileen Bordaje fixes the Christmas decor at her office at City Hall. (CDN PHOTO/ EDISON DELOS ANGELES)
After sipping that coffee from Starbucks, don’t toss the cup just yet.
Workers of Cebu City Hall like to pose for souvenir photos beside a Christmas tree, two lanterns and a table of glittering Christmas decor made of used paper cups at the Local Tax Appeals office.
It took about a year to gather the cups of different sizes , said the creator, Eileen Bordaje, who heads the office.
She and her boyfriend, lawyer Ralph Sevilla, would collect them from their favorite source of java, Starbucks.
Series lights and silver dust transform the coffee containers into a holiday surprise.
“I came to realize that there are times that you should not be throwing away things because they can still be reused,” she said.
Bordaje said she feels fulfilled every time she looks at her decor which she worked on during Saturdays since Nov. 25.
The 5-foot tree stands near their office door. Two lanterns hang on the wall beside it. Below it are little Christmas trees used as table decor.
Bordaje said she got the idea from Sevilla who likes to collect cups from Starbucks, which serves coffee orders by size — short, tall and grande.
Sevilla used to head the City Legal Office and Human Resources Management Office. He would keep the Starbucks holiday season cups in his law office because of their colorful design.
Sevilla is an advocate for environment protection and likes to recycle.
“Natakdan lang ko niya (I got this passion from him),” said Bordaje.
Although she finished a psychology degree at the University of San Carlos, Bordaje never gave up on her childhood love for art.
“This year, the cup design caught my attention,” she said.
The paper cups she used on her Christmas tree still bear the labels and production description on them.
“They were waste ready for the garbage. I collected them all,” she said.
Sevilla later contributed his paper cup collection for the project.
“Hilig lang gyud siya mag collect ug garbage. He does not throw things away because the cups are made of good material and can be recycled. Sayang siya ilabay . (It’s a waste to throw them away),” Bordaje said.
Janitors at Starbucks would help her go around the tables to gather paper cups. She also recyclced some paper bags, carton cup sleeves, tissue paper and coffee holders to use as design elements.