Recycling garbage in Metro Manila

For seven and a half years the Metro Manila Council of Women Balikatan Movement, a non-governmental organization of 20,000 women has been recycling dry household wastes back to the factories where they are used as secondary materials in the 21 villages of San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines.

The programme involves the separation of garbage in the kitchen into wet (animal and food wastes) and dry (paper, plastics, bottles, tin cans, rubber slippers, bottle caps, metals) waste.

The wet garbage is collected daily by a government agency. The dry garbage is collected and paid for by the programme's more than 100 collectors, or "eco-aides". These individuals are usually unemployed or underemployed young men. During the programme, the Council

- conducted meetings with housewives and civic, trade and religious organizations in the town to inform them of the programme;

- organized six junk shop owners to join the programme;

- researched to develop a market for non-traditional garbage such as bottle cans, rubber slippers, broken bottles, medicine bottles, batteries, motor vehicle tires, etc.;

- provided paints (for the push charts for immediate identity), green T-shirts for the eco-aides and ID cards for the "eco-aides";

- provided the junk shop owners with a route of the 21 villages of the town to ensure that collection is organized and that the whole town is fully covered;

- arranged with the village councils to cooperate with the programme;

- printed and distributed flyers in all of the 18,457 households through the village councils, churches, civic, trade and religious non-governmental-organizations. (This is still being done to this day, because not all of the households respond to the programme. Some are too lazy to separate their garbage and throw it in the streets and canals.);

- held meetings with the junk shop owners once a week and now once a month since the programme is in place;

- held meetings with the "eco-aides" to improve their system of collection;

- assisted the junk shop owners in obtaining loans to cover their higher requirements of capital since their business improved as more and more dry wastes are collected.

A World Bank-UNDP case study of the programme attributes the success of this almost 9-year old environmental exercise to three factors:

- the use of the informal system in the collection of waste materials;
- the educational campaign launched in the area regarding environmental issues;
- the sincere support of the junk shop owners, the community and the local government.

Today, the Programme of the Metro Manila Council of Women Balikatan Movement recycles at least 27 tons of garbage back to the factories.

Contact: Metro Manila Council of Women Balikatan Movement, Inc., 15 Regency Park, 207 Santolan Road, Quezon City Metro Manila, Philippines.'