A barangay in Pasig City has collected more than 250 kilos of plastic wastes during its waste for rice program recently, which seeks to promote recycling and help residents affected by the pandemic.

Barangay San Antonio, Pasig Chairman Raymond Lising said the barangay, in partnership with Planeta Cares—a non-government organization, recently launched the “Bayanihan Plastic Management Program.”

The program aims to encourage residents to properly dispose of their garbage and practice recycling. It also seeks to help residents during these trying times by providing them rice packs in exchange for collected plastic wastes.

Under the program, plastic wastes weighing at least 500 grams were traded for three kilos of rice.

The barangay has set up a collection booth at Mega Plaza Ortigas Central Business District on October 30 where residents brought their collected plastic wastes and had them exchanged for rice packs.

“We have collected a total of 251.2 kilos of plastic. Nearly 80 people participated in our program for the environment, we are doing this to help decongest land fields. Each person brought at least one to three kilo/s of plastic,” Lising said.

During the program, the barangay collected various plastic wastes such as plastic containers of shampoo, detergent, plastic bags, sachets, snack packs, plastic cups, among other plastic wastes.

According to Lising, they have distributed 237 packs of rice or around 700 kilos of rice to those who brought their plastic wastes.

Planeta Cares founder Ana Mikaela Samson said the collected plastic waste will go to their organization’s three selected recycling entities—The Sustainable Gardener PH, Cloop, and Sari-Cycle.

Samson said Cloop and Sari-Cycle, which are both located in Pasig and employ members of low-income families, turn plastic wastes into trophies and school supplies.