Case Study
Philippines: City of Manila, Metro Manila
WWF Involvement: January 2021 to December 2024
Focus Area: Collection
PSC Approach: Formal Collection
Systemic Intervention: Systems and Infrastructure
Key Lessons Learned
- Digital literacy training improves uptake of blockchain-based reward systems: The use of blockchain technology in solid waste management (SWM) to improve traceability and transparency of material and financial flows is relatively new and promising. Providing digital skills training is important to ensure participation, particularly to support users who may have limited familiarity with digital tools. When successfully implemented, this digital model can lead to increased collection volumes by allowing informal waste collectors to easily track their contributions and instantly redeem rewards through the Plastic Bank app.
- Financial incentives are key to boosting informal sector engagement and improving livelihoods: Incentive-based models have shown to significantly increase participation in waste collection, underscoring the value of financial incentives in enhancing waste recycling efforts and supporting economic benefits within the informal sector.
Background
Plastic pollution remains a critical issue in Manila City, where large volumes of plastic waste enter land and marine environments. Plastic Bank incentivises waste collection and recycling by integrating informal waste collectors through capacity building activities and use of the blockchain-based reward system via the Plastic Bank application.
Blockchain technology is a decentralised digital system that securely records transactions. In this initiative, it enables real-time tracking of plastic collection and ensures all payments and material flows are transparent, traceable, and tamper-proof – building trust and accountability across the recycling process.
Recovered plastics are transformed into Social Plastic® (Katz, D., 2019), which is reintegrated into the supply chain by corporate partners. With WWF’s support, Plastic Bank has grown its network of schools, therefore recovering higher quantities of plastics.
Plastic Bank also engaged schools in partnership with the Department of Education, working directly with school heads and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to implement Information, Education, and Communication training on plastic pollution and waste management.
Aligned with RA 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, 2000), the project worked closely with barangay leaders to secure local buy-in and train waste workers in Baseco, a community in Barangay 649, Port Area. Baseco is known for its dense population and active informal waste collection sector, making it a key area for intervention.
Objectives
- Recover plastic waste to prevent environmental leakage.
- Strengthen the local waste collection system by integrating informal waste collectors, providing them with social and economic benefits through training and incentives.
Key Successes
- Plastic Bank collected a total of 328 tonnes of general waste from January 2021 until August 2024, surpassing their target of 100 tonnes for the full project period.
- The initiative also led to greater volumes of plastic collected in junkshops in Baseco, improving overall waste management.
- 161 waste workers completed Plastic Bank’s training programmes, which equipped them with skills to enhance collection efficiency and financial security. This included Social Protection Mechanism Training for access to government benefits and a Digital Literacy Programme to help participants track plastic collection, redeem incentives, and use financial services, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and inclusion.
- Financial incentives: Registered Plastic Bank members received bonus payments per kilogram of collected plastic, leading to higher participation rates, improved livelihoods, and a more structured plastic recycling system.
- School and community engagement: School heads appointed project coordinators to oversee the initiative with Plastic Bank, which trained them alongside 20 PTA officers. A one-day specialised training equipped them to educate parents and manage school waste collection efforts, ensuring long-term environmental awareness within school communities.
Key Challenges
- Limited access to technology: Although the Digital Literacy Programme enhanced engagement, some waste collectors who were less familiar with using digital tools faced challenges in adopting the Plastic Bank application, which affected their ability to participate consistently.
Resources
Support: WWF provided funding for training, logistics, and tools to support waste collectors, enabling them to increase plastic recycling and access social benefits as well as supporting the expansion of its engagement with schools.
Stakeholders: Collaboration between WWF, Plastic Bank, Department of Education, waste cooperatives, and corporate buyers.
Technology: The existing Plastic Bank app is central to this initiative. It allows waste collectors to transparently track collected materials, redeem financial incentives, and access financial services. It uses blockchain-based transaction tracking for transparency.
Human Resources: Field coordinators, trainers, and local informal waste collectors.
Enabling Factors
The Plastic Bank model is sustained through corporate partnerships, where companies purchase Social Plastic® at a premium, funding the financial incentives provided to waste collectors.
Integrating informal waste workers into formal systems and extending access to social benefits supports more inclusive and sustainable development outcomes.
Digital payment infrastructure enables efficient and transparent incentive distribution, making it easier for participants to receive and track rewards.
Risks & Opportunities
- High costs for waste infrastructure: The capital and operational investment needed to establish waste segregation hubs and community composting facilities remains a key financial barrier that may affect the pace and scale of the project’s expansion.
- Role of Public-Private Partnerships: Potential to unlock private capital to enhance public services and improve informal waste picker livelihood to invest in better digital infrastructure and supporting policy to scale services.
