The Informal Plastic Waste Sector in the Philippines

According to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Filipinos

produce an average of 0.4 - 0.5 kg of trash per capita1, making the Philippines one of the
leading waste-producing countries in the Southeast Asian region and the rest of the world2. With
these numbers, the Informal waste sector is one that is governed by poor systems and
composed of vulnerable groups as they are constantly exposed to unsafe and unhealthy
environments.

As per the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), there are multiple factors and
reasons as to why waste collection and management systems are inefficient. Factors such as
poor management, worker surplus, inadequate participation and compliance within the
community, lack of garbage truck/vehicle maintenance, and inefficient routes that wastes
gasoline which furthermore deteriorates the vehicle in the long run3. However, no matter how
unproductive and bureaucratic waste collection in the Philippines is, it is actually a system that
is very common in developing countries as waste collecting / scavenging promotes sustainable
development by reducing poverty and pollution at the same time4.

CLASSIFICATIONS
In 2014, it was estimated that the Philippines had over a hundred thousand people
working in the informal waste sector, consisting of families, and even those from the
marginalized sectors such as women, children, the elderly, and disabled5. The sector is
composed of various roles such as:

1
Mayuga, Jonathan L. “DENR News Alerts.” The Garbage Conundrum, 10 Jan. 2021.
https://www.denr.gov.ph/images/DENR_News_Alerts/DENR_News_Alerts_10_January_2021_Sunday.pdf
2
Arumdani, S. "MSW handling of top 5 leading waste-producing countries in Southeast Asia." IOP Conf.
Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., doi:https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/896/1/012003.
3
EMB. "Solid Waste." 2018, p. 9, emb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/3-Solid-Waste-1.8.pdf.
4
Medina, Martin. "Waste Picker Cooperatives in Developing Countries."
www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Medina-wastepickers.pdf

5
World Bank. "JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (JSDF) Grant Funding Proposal (FY11 – Round 33).”

World Bank Document,

doi:https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/zh/157911518086055109/pdf/123306-FP-PUBLIC-P130444-Philippine
s-Alternative-Livelihood-for-the-Informal-Waste-sector-Proposal-FY11.pdf.
WASTE PICKERS
In the Philippines, there are waste pickers or garbage collectors who work on streets,
community bins, and public dump sites.

PALEROS
Are similar to waste collectors who work along the community, only that they are the
ones who collect wastes on garbage trucks and collect general garbage from households. In
2015, TESDA introduced the Garbage Collection NC I and Sanitary Landfill Operations NC III in
an effort to formalize and bring dignity to the sector. This is also to ensure that paleros / garbage
collectors are made conscious of the different hazards that they face in the workplace.

ITINERANT WASTE BUYERS

Itinerant buyers are commonly found in neighborhoods as their method of collecting is by
purchasing recyclable materials from households6. They are known for bringing along their
pushcarts to neighborhoods.

SMALL JUNK SHOP DEALERS

According to the DTI, A Junkshop is a simple buy and sell enterprise. These businesses
collect, organize, and sell recyclable materials to recycling centers (income varies depending on
whether or not the dealer works at a miniscule or large scale). Despite the good that it brings,
junk shops/junkyards are often dismissed due to the idea that this industry is unsanitary and that
it only deals with junk. On the contrary, despite prejudices against junk shops/junkyards, it is
actually a great generator of income and a business that will never grow out of fashion.

JUMPERS
Unlike paleros who are employed by the LGU or commercial garbage truck companies,
Jumpers are usually youth (young men) who aren’t paleros but collects recyclables from
garbage trucks before it reaches to dumpsites and/or controlled disposal facilities.7

6
"Solid Waste Management Value Chain in Selected Barangays of Metro Manila, Rizal and Bulacan
Provinces in the Philippines." 2016, doi:https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00N5B8.pdf.

7
National Solid Waste Management Commission. "National Framework Plan for the Informal Waste
Sector in Solid Waste Management." May 2009,
doi:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/KtbxLvHPvwrvBHHqFpWGXxQTjspnLxPLbV?projector=1&
messagePartId=0.1.
WASTE RECLAIMERS
Considered to be at the bottom of the Informal waste sector recycling hierarchy, waste
reclaimers are oftentimes are persons or families who reside in the dumpsites. Once the
collected wastes reach the disposal facility, they work to organize and sort recoverable waste.8

HEALTH RISKS
The nature of the sector itself makes its workers susceptible to various forms of sickness
and viruses such as intestinal worms, diarrhea, bronchitis, and even COVID-19. However, aside
from that, It was found in a 2019 study that waste collectors in the Philippines are exposed to
various health risks, especially musculoskeletal disorders. This is mainly due to the fact that
informal waste workers are not provided with the right materials and instruments to do their
tasks as well as protective equipment to help shield them from injuries and viruses9.

References:

Arumdani, S. "MSW handling of top 5 leading waste-producing countries in Southeast Asia." IOP
Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., doi:https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/896/1/012003.

EMB. "Solid Waste." 2018, p. 9, emb.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/3-Solid-Waste-1.8.pdf.

DENR.”National Solid Waste Management Status Report.” 2018.

doi:https://drive.google.com/file/d/17pCzl0hg0xqFMpdZXT3UB77ELx9sCfHH/view.

Gumasing, Ma. Janice, and Zharlene Sasot. "An Occupational Risk Analysis of Garbage
Collection Tasks in the Philippines." 2019,
doi:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333157972_An_Occupational_Risk_Analysis_of_Garbage_
Collection_Tasks_in_the_Philippines

Mayuga, Jonathan L. “DENR News Alerts.” The Garbage Conundrum, 10 Jan. 2021.
https://www.denr.gov.ph/images/DENR_News_Alerts/DENR_News_Alerts_10_January_2021_Sunday.pdf

Medina, Martin. "Waste Picker Cooperatives in Developing Countries."

www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/publications/files/Medina-wastepickers.pdf

8
National Solid Waste Management Commission. "National Framework Plan for the Informal Waste Sector
in Solid Waste Management." May 2009,
doi:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/KtbxLvHPvwrvBHHqFpWGXxQTjspnLxPLbV?projector=1&
messagePartId=0.1.
9
Gumasing, Ma. Janice, and Zharlene Sasot. "An Occupational Risk Analysis of Garbage Collection Tasks
in the Philippines." 2019,
doi:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333157972_An_Occupational_Risk_Analysis_of_Garbage_Collection_T
asks_in_the_Philippines
 National Solid Waste Management Commission. "National Framework Plan for the Informal
Waste Sector in Solid Waste Management." May 2009,
doi:https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox/KtbxLvHPvwrvBHHqFpWGXxQTjspnLxPLbV?p
rojector=1&messagePartId=0.1.

Solid Waste Management Value Chain in Selected Barangays of Metro Manila, Rizal and Bulacan
Provinces in the Philippines." 2016, doi:https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00N5B8.pdf.

World Bank. "JAPAN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (JSDF) Grant Funding Proposal (FY11 –
Round 33).”

World Bank Document,

doi:https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/zh/157911518086055109/pdf/123306-FP-PUBLIC-P13044
4-Philippines-Alternative-Livelihood-for-the-Informal-Waste-sector-Proposal-FY11.pdf.