Filipino village exchanges plastic waste for rice
- 5 years ago
MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES — Bayanan village is attempting to fight against plastic waste by giving its residents one kilogram of rice for every 2 kilograms of plastic waste they bring in.
The plastic waste is then transferred over to the government, Reuters reports. Officials will either properly dispose of the plastic trash or send it for recycling.
The program chose to swap trash for rice as it is the staple food in Filipino cuisine, with one kilogram of rice costing around 30 to 40 pesos, or US$0.70.
Village chief Andor San Pedro told Reuters that the campaign has resulted in more than 213 kilograms of plastic waste consisting of sachets, bottles and plastic bags being collected last month.
He added that the program is teaching local residents how to correctly dispose of their plastic waste.
The Philippines was ranked the third largest plastic polluter in 2018 due to mismanagement of the plastic waste, according to statistics from Earth Day Network.
The plastic waste is then transferred over to the government, Reuters reports. Officials will either properly dispose of the plastic trash or send it for recycling.
The program chose to swap trash for rice as it is the staple food in Filipino cuisine, with one kilogram of rice costing around 30 to 40 pesos, or US$0.70.
Village chief Andor San Pedro told Reuters that the campaign has resulted in more than 213 kilograms of plastic waste consisting of sachets, bottles and plastic bags being collected last month.
He added that the program is teaching local residents how to correctly dispose of their plastic waste.
The Philippines was ranked the third largest plastic polluter in 2018 due to mismanagement of the plastic waste, according to statistics from Earth Day Network.