ILOILO - The Iloilo Provincial Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines, through its PH Plastics Circularity Project supported by The Coca- Cola Foundation, have launched the Weave Out Waste (WOW) Limpyo Iloilo – an innovative upcycling program that transforms post-election waste from the Limpyo Eleksyon 2025 into marketable consumer products.

With support from the UNDP Philippines’ PH Plastics Circularity Project, Iloilo Province is positioning itself as a regional leader in circular economy, paving the way for innovative solutions to plastic waste challenges. The Iloilo Provincial Government has taken a groundbreaking step with the amended Executive Order (EO) No. 265, expanding the Limpyo Eleksyon 2025 initiative into a transformative program that champions circular economy practices and sustainable waste management. In May, the province collected over 49,000 kilograms of post-election waste, with over 50% composed of plastics, including tarpaulins (34%) and flexible plastics (16%)–demonstrating the commitment of the province to turning waste into opportunity.

The Weave Out Waste (WOW) program integrates circular economy practices by empowering marginalized groups with skills in product design, prototyping, and upcycling techniques using recovered tarpaulins, plastic wastes, and other locally sourced materials. It also emphasizes entrepreneurship, particularly towards building a community-based artisan enterprise, to strengthen local capacity to sustain and replicate upcycling efforts beyond the election season. The initiative supports the province in promoting circularity, creating local economic opportunities within the plastic value chain, and diverting plastic wastes from landfills and vital waterways.

UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran said: “Through the PH Plastics Circularity Project, UNDP will continue to work with Iloilo Province in engaging a sustainable enterprise to ensure that upcycled products from Limpyo Eleksyon are suitable to the target markets. More importantly, we set out to engage with the informal waste sector, women’s groups, and local organizations representing vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.”

As part of the pilot rollout, 40 participants, including women and individuals from GEDSI* groups from Talongonan, Passi City, along with artisans from other local government units (LGUs) joined the orientation and a two-day intensive skills training held on September 8-9, 2025. The skills training emphasized design thinking, sustainability, and practical upcycling skills and techniques to begin production of identified prototypes, including laundry and grocery bags, wallets, keychains, and placemat with coasters.

Iloilo Province Governor Arthur R. Defensor, Jr. reiterated that “The Iloilo Provincial Government is committed to integrating circular economy practices into Limpyo Eleksyon 2025 as well as our future initiatives. We will continue to fulfill our work to promote sustainable use of resources, reduce plastic waste, and provide better local economic opportunities to communities across the province.”

Beyond upcycling plastic waste from Limpyo Eleksyon 2025, UNDP Philippines’ PH Plastics Circularity project aims to enhance local waste management systems and integrate circular economy principles into local policies and efforts. It also sets out to drive sustainable business models that enables the informal waste sector and disadvantaged groups to fully benefit from opportunities related to plastic value chains, as well as encourage behavior change to reduce plastic use and improve plastic collection.

The PH Plastics Circularity project is implemented in partnership with the Iloilo Provincial Government and the local government units of Banate, Dumangas, Iloilo City, Passi City, and Pototan. [END]

*GEDSI or Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion

About the Project:

The PH Plastics Circularity Project is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme in the Philippines (UNDP Philippines) with support from The Coca-Cola Foundation. It is part of a multi-country initiative that aims to tackle the growing challenge of plastic waste pollution and support the transition to a circular economy across nine countries in Asia. 

By focusing on key interventions at the local level—strengthening sustainable plastic waste management and circular economy policies and systems, empowering the informal waste sector, promoting inclusive business models, and driving behavior change to reduce plastic waste— the project reduces plastic leakage into the environment while improving livelihoods and advancing circular economy practices in the Philippines.