DAVAO CITY— A community based solid waste management project (PHINLA Phase 1) is seeing concrete results among resource collectors in the pilot barangays.
PHINLA (Global Program to Scale UP multi-sectoral Sustainable Waste Management Systems and strengthening of livelihoods for poverty affected populations in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka), is a global waste management program implemented in three countries by providing livelihood to poverty-affected populations by improving waste management systems. In the Philippines it is implemented by EcoWaste Coalition and World Vision, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation.
PHINLA I is currently carried out in three pilot areas: Barangay Mintal in Davao City, Barangay Gusa in Cagayan de Oro City and Barangay Inawayan in Cebu City.
The project currently has 118 resource collectors across the three pilot barangays in the country. These 118 resource collectors are now engaging in income generating activities.
“Resource collectors is what we call the common name for waste pickers or waste collectors in our barangays. We emphasized the world resource collectors because we want to uplift the dignity of our beneficiaries, and to become a partner together with the barangay and the local government unit,” says project coordinator Jane Salingay, project manager of Eco Waste Coalition.
She says that more than just waste collectors they have become advocates of solid waste management.
And 49 of the 118 resource collectors have recorded a 10% increase in their monthly income.
“Every month they have reached the two thousand pesos reported income out of the recyclables from 2019 to 2023,” Salingay said.
The efforts of the resource collectors resulted in a 57% increase in volume of recyclable wastes collected from households and communities, contributing to P2 million increase in income in three project sites.
This is P2 million worth of wastes diverted from going to the sanitary landfill.
For Barangay Mintal Captain Rey Amador Bargamento says the resource collectors which are grouped into the Mintal Resource Collectors Association have been a great help to the barangay in their solid waste management advocacy.
Through PHINLA the barangay was given 25 pedicabs and seven tricycle units to collect recyclable materials in the different households in the barangay.
Diosadada Bardon, a resource collector of MIRCA says they could earn P2,000 a month or more in collecting recyclable materials. She says there are six drivers going around the barangay and are assisted by women members who segregate waste.
“Diri ang akong gi-apas di man sweldo o kwarta ang akong jud gusto malimpyo among barangay,” Bardon said.
(Here I do not aim for a salary or income, what I really want is my barangay to be clean.)
In the second phase of PHINLA, the stakeholders are eyeing Barangay Bago Oshiro which is adjacent to Barangay Mintal as another pilot barangay. (PIA/RGA)
