Plastic Bank urges better waste systems, segregation

MANILA, Philippines — “Waste doesn’t disappear. It only changes location.”

Plastic Bank made this point as it explained that while it is easy to assume the problem is gone once trash is collected and the garbage truck drives away, waste does not disappear.

“When waste management systems fail, the consequences can reach far beyond overflowing dumpsites. Rivers become polluted, drinking water is threatened, ecosystems are damaged, and communities lose livelihoods that depend on a healthy environment,” it said.

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Plastic Bank is a social financial technology network that runs a global bottle deposit program, helping underserved communities turn plastic waste into income and social benefits while reducing plastic pollution.

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The social enterprise said the case of Subic in Zambales, where part of an Aeta ancestral land had been turned into a landfill, “illustrates this reality,” adding that while the incident happened in one community, its lessons extend far beyond the Philippines.

READ: Subic dump ‘temporary fix’ during pandemic – Aeta leaders

Indigenous leaders in Sitio Tibag expressed concern over why local officials appeared to have allowed the landfill to operate despite earlier complaints and whether anyone in the government would be held accountable.

READ: Subic Aetas seek accountability over open dump in ancestral domain

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The open dumpsite, located within an ancestral domain, “allegedly contaminated waterways that feed the surrounding watershed,” prompting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to issue a cease-and-desist order.

“Similar challenges have emerged in cities and towns across the world, reminding us that poor waste management is not a local problem. It’s a global one,” Plastic Bank said as it stressed that “waste management starts before the landfill.”

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Symptom

For the social enterprise, “if we only focus on managing waste after it reaches a landfill, we’ve already waited too long,” adding that an overflowing landfill is “often the final visible symptom of a much larger system failure.”

“The world already generates more than two billion tons of municipal solid waste every year, and without significant changes, this figure is expected to grow dramatically over the coming decades,” it said.

The Philippines generates 14.6 million tons of municipal solid waste each year, based on data from the 2025 World Bank What a Waste Global Database.

READ: PH produces almost 15 million tons of waste every year

Dr. Alicor Panao, Inquirer Metrics data scientist and associate professor at the University of the Philippines, said “this places the country ahead of wealthier economies such as Australia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands in terms of waste produced.”

Plastic Bank said waste problems begin long before discarded materials reach landfills, pointing to failures in product design, segregation, collection and infrastructure.

“Waste reaches disposal sites only after a series of missed opportunities: products that were never designed for recovery, recyclable materials that weren’t separated, collection systems that failed to recover valuable resources, and infrastructure that couldn’t keep pace with growing waste generation,” it said.

Segregate

Plastic Bank said that when recyclable materials are properly segregated at homes, schools, offices and businesses, “they retain value,” meaning they can be collected, processed and returned to the economy instead of occupying landfill space.

“Segregation may seem like a small everyday habit, but multiplied across millions of households, it becomes one of the most effective ways to reduce pressure on landfills and prevent pollution before it begins,” the social enterprise said.

It explained that throwing recyclable materials into landfills not only creates more waste but also discards valuable resources. Every bottle, container or piece of packaging that cannot be recovered often needs to be replaced with new raw materials, it said.

“All over the world, only 9% of plastic waste is recycled, while almost half is sent to sanitary landfills and another 22% is mismanaged, increasing the risk of pollution on land and in waterways,” it said.

Plastic Bank pointed out that millions of people worldwide earn a living by collecting recyclable materials before they become pollution, including waste pickers in Latin America, collectors in the Philippines and informal recyclers in Africa and Asia.

“These workers perform an essential environmental service that often goes unnoticed. They recover plastic bottles, cardboard, metals, and other valuable materials long before they reach rivers, landfills, or the ocean,” it said.

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For the social enterprise, strengthening this sector through fair compensation, digital traceability, better market access and partnerships not only improves livelihoods. “It also strengthens recycling systems, increases recovery rates, and helps valuable materials remain in circulation.” /dm