General Santos City, Philippines– Since 2018, Project E-REDUCE has worked alongside communities in General Santos City to support a more structured and inclusive approach to managing household waste. The program is supported by the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Inc. (CCFPI) in partnership with Sarangani Province Empowerment and Community Transformation Forum Inc. (SPECTRUM), and implemented with local government units, civil society groups, and grassroots organizations.
The initiative focuses on strengthening local waste systems while improving working conditions for informal waste workers who play a critical role in daily waste collection and recovery.
Supporting waste workers within local systems
A core component of Project E-REDUCE is support for waste workers through training on waste segregation, classification, and basic record-keeping. Partner waste workers are also provided with protective equipment to help improve safety on the job.
To support more organized operations, participating waste workers receive identification cards, designated collection routes, and padyak units to assist with daily collection activities. These measures help integrate waste workers into barangay-level collection systems coordinated with local authorities.
Project E-REDUCE has also supported the establishment and strengthening of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) across the city, working in coordination with the LGU to improve sorting and diversion of collected materials.
“Project E-REDUCE reflects the importance of working with local partners and communities who are closest to the challenge,” said Cecile Alcantara, President of CCFPI. “Our role is to support practical, community-led approaches that help waste workers operate more safely and with greater stability over time.”
From community action to city alignment
Project E-REDUCE, initially known as Project REDUCE, began with clean-up activities and post-collection efforts in coastal communities, working with local partners and schools to address plastic waste. Early activities focused on waste recovery systems, MRF establishment, and basic disposal practices, anchored in community participation.
As the program evolved, waste management systems were piloted in schools, riverbank areas, and selected barangays, alongside information campaigns and hands-on training to encourage consistent waste segregation at the household level.
Over time, collaboration with LGUs and barangays has deepened. Informal waste workers were integrated into more structured collection networks, and barangay-level plans were developed in alignment with General Santos City’s Ecological Solid Waste Management Plan. Today, the initiative supports activities across 26 barangays, contributing to local implementation efforts already underway.
“When communities are involved, people take ownership and accountability. That’s what makes systems sustainable,” said Kim Bogador of SPECTRUM Inc.
A more stable path for waste workers
For Elmer Rodrigo, a padyak partner working in various barangays, Project E-REDUCE brought more structure and stability to a job that was once uncertain.
Elmer Rodrigo, a waste worker under Project E-REDUCE, stands beside his padyak used for daily collection across barangays in General Santos City, supporting more organized and safer waste management.
Before joining the program, Elmer worked without clear routes, with unreliable equipment, and with limited protective equipment.
Through Project E-REDUCE, he received training, protective gear, and a new padyak, allowing him to operate within a defined collection system.
Elmer removes the cap and label from a PET bottle as part of proper waste segregation, applying his training on which materials can be recovered and have value.
“Dati, mababa ang tingin sa amin. May mga pagkakataon pa na ninanakaw ang padyak ko,” Elmershared. “Ngayon, dahil mas maayos na ang sistema at may pagkilala na sa amin, mas nirerespeto na kami. Mas kampante na ako sa araw-araw na trabaho, at mas ramdam ko na ang dignidad ng aming hanapbuhay.” (People looked down on us before. There was even a time that someone stole my padyak. Now, because there is a system in place and people recognize what we do and our work, people now treat us better and with more respect. I feel more secure with my work and I feel there’s dignity in what I am doing.)
With clearer routes and improved safety, Elmer now earns more consistently and takes pride in his role. Households in his area have also become more proactive, increasingly setting aside recyclables for collection.
Communities taking the lead
ZSSFA members leading the community on picking up waste at Brgy. Bula’s coastal area.
Project E-REDUCE has also supported grassroots organizations in coastal communities, including the Zone Six Small Fishermen Association (ZSSFA) in Barangay Bula, led by ZSSFA President Cheryl Galo.
With training and organization support, the association formalized its leadership structures and strengthened its capacity to lead clean-up activities and environmental education in the community.
The group also manages a community-built boardwalk that includes a sari-sari store, a canteen, and a modest entrance fee that supports mangrove planting.
The group also manages a community-built boardwalk that serves as both a tourist site and a source of supplementary income while reinforcing conservation and community stewardship.
“After the training sessions, mas naging organisado at mas napalakas ang aming samahan,” Cheryl said. “Mas kaya na naming mag-train ng iba at mas dumalas ang coastal clean-ups. Nakikita rin namin na mas aware na ang komunidad at mas nakikilahok na sila sa pag-aalaga ng kalikasan.” (After the training sessions, we are now more organized, and our sense of community has been strengthened. We can now train other people and our coastal clean-ups are now more frequent. We also notice how our community is more aware and has been more active in helping take care of our environment.)
The association now holds regular clean-ups and manages a mangrove nursery that supplies seedlings to neighboring communities.
Continuing through partnerships
Through Project E-REDUCE, the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Inc. continues to support waste workers and communities by working with local partners on training, systems development, and community engagement. The initiative reflects how livelihood support and waste system improvements can reinforce each other when led locally and carried out in partnership.
Project E-REDUCE contributes to Coca-Cola Philippines’ ongoing work to strengthen packaging collection and recycling systems, alongside broader efforts to support the use of recycled materials such as rPET where recycling infrastructure and partnerships are in place, in collaboration with government, industry, and community partners.
To know more about the sustainability initiatives of Coca-Cola Philippines, visit https://www.coca-cola.com/ph/en/brands/coca-cola/sustainability.
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