As part of its commitment to take progressive action to aid in mitigating plastic wastes, Procter & Gamble (P&G) Philippines and World Vision Development Foundation Inc. have successfully implemented “Pag-asa sa Basura,” an environmental sustainability program that aims to collect and upcycle plastic sachets into school chairs, trash bins and other useful products.
Pag-asa sa Basura has partnered with 26 public schools in Malabon and Quezon City for the collection of used plastic sachets, and plastic bottles, in their respective communities.
Within the first three months of the program alone, the schools were able to recover over 2.3 million plastic sachets and more than 700,000 hard plastic bottles.
In return, students received incentives for every sachet and bottle collected.
The program, besides enabling plastic recovery and recycling, aims to promote the importance of proper solid waste management.
P&G and World Vision rehabilitated the schools’ materials recovery facilities, and trained teachers and students on proper waste segregation, upcycling and circular economy.
“As we continue to take progressive action to mitigate plastic wastes, we aim to champion sustainable innovations through our brands and manufacturing, and empower Filipino communities to be part of the solution through recycling, upcycling and other waste diversion initiatives,” said Anna Legarda-Locsin, P&G communications head.
She added: “The Pag-asa sa Basura program is one of the ways we collaborate with stakeholders and consumers for environmental sustainability.”
P&G and World Vision’s program was able to orient over 3,000 students and teachers in Malabon and Quezon City on Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
Alongside the workshop, Pag-asa sa Basura helped establish 21 Solid Waste Management Committees in Malabon and five committees in Quezon City, equipping students and faculty members to practice waste management more effectively inside their campuses and homes.
“P&G and World Vision helped significantly [in reducing] the amount of plastic wastes in our community through recycling and upcycling. More important, this program motivated our students to practice proper waste segregation in their homes, as well,” said Genmart Alejandro, Catmon Integrated School Malabon YES-O coordinator.
P&G and World Vision are expecting to recover more used sachets and bottles in the coming months, and prevent plastic wastes from ending up in oceans or landfills.
“The success of Pag-asa sa Basura inspires us to find more ways to be a stronger force for good and growth in the country. We will continue to collaborate with our partners to inspire positive impact in society and the environment,” Locsin added.