PROBLEM: The plastic waste crisis affects all countries and ecosystems - but it is especially serious in the Philippines.  This island nation of roughly 110 million people contributes between 25-35% of ocean plastic, according to various studies.  In a 2021 study by Science Advances of over 1000 rivers worldwide, the top 10 polluting riverways were in Southeast Asia - and 7 of them were in the Philippines.  This includes the #1 spot, the Pasig River in Manila, which alone accounts for an astounding 6.5% of worldwide ocean plastic.

This waste threatens the health of the entire planet.  It endangers rivers and entire marine ecosystems, degrades biodiversity, and harms the whole spectrum of life from whales to coral reefs to humans.

SOLUTION: That's where we step in!  Our purpose is threefold: 1) to remove plastic waste from the environment 2) to educate Filipinos in responsibly managing their waste, principally in reducing their plastic consumption, and 3) to provide sustainable livelihood for urban poor communities in Manila (most especially, to those who have lost their jobs and income because of Covid-19). 

CONCEPT: The Philippines Advocates for the Care of Our Planet collects plastic from schools, parishes, and communities around Metro Manila, which unfortunately lacks a coherent recyclables management system.  This plastic is sorted and sent to processing and recovery facilities for recycling.  We focus on picking up from urban poor areas, where waste pickers make a living by sorting useable and recyclable plastic.  In early 2021, we partnered with Plastic Land Bank Philippines to facilitate this collection of waste.  Since then we have increased our outreach to the poorest barangays/neighborhoods in the region.  We are now able to educate youth, help them supplement their own education, and provide a dignified wage for waste pickers who have been devasted by the pandemic, many of them also displaced by worsening typhoons such as last December's Rai, Agaton (April 2022), and most recently Paeng (October 2022).  This cooperation provides protection against further disruption to our society from both poverty and intensifying climate disasters.

YOUR HELP:  We can barely keep up with requests!  We constantly receive inquiries from new schools and parishes across Manila.  Your contributions will help us purchase a larger used flatbed truck, and finance its repairs and licensing.  This larger truck will increase our collection capacity, allowing us to visit more schools and communities with fewer trips.  Your help will also cover expenses like petrol, tolls, and labor for sorting the plastics.  A portion will also go towards supporting urban poor youth and young adult students in the Philippines' alternative learning system (ALS).  As we all know, education is crucial for any serious work towards transformation (women's education is listed as one of the keys to reversing the climate crisis according to Project Drawdown's 100 climate solutions).  We believe that without educating Filipino next generations, the plastic crisis will only continue to worsen and our planet's health will continue to deteriorate.  That is why we are calling on you!

YOUR IMPACT: Quite simply, there is no more time to waste on all our plastic waste.  As Pope Francis tells us in his landmark 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si', we are all called to contribute to the health of our planet - in whatever way we can, with whatever talents and treasures we have.  Every contribution you can make is one step towards a less polluted Philippines, a less polluted planet, and a brighter future for all of our children!