Residents of Muntinlupa City exchange 2 kilos of plastic for 1 kilo of rice under the city’s “Bigas sa Basura” program (Photo from Muntinlupa PIO)
MANILA, Philippines – The local government of Muntinlupa City launched the “Bigas sa Basura” (Trash for Rice) program on Thursday to encourage residents to segregate recyclable materials from their waste and exchange it for rice.
The move was also part of the city’s Gender and Development (GAD) program to “empower women to earn by getting kilos of rice,” calling them Women Eco Warriors.
“Bigas sa Basura aim is to gather household waste. We encourage women and mothers to segregate waste and bring it to ESC (Environmental Sanitation Center) in exchange for rice,” said the city’s information office in a statement.
Under the program, 2 kilos of residual wastes such as plastic bottles, candy wrappers, sachets, plastic packing from online retailers, and other types of plastic can be exchanged with 1 kilo of rice. These wastes must first be cleaned and dried before exchanging it in Sucat People’s Park. — Alyssa Joy Quevedo, Inquirer.net trainee