LocationsRecognizing the work that builds a circular economy for all.
The Hands That Close the Loop
June 8, 2026
Across Philippine cities and municipalities, waste systems are under growing pressure, with more waste ending up in landfills and waterways. Communities are already feeling the impact along with landfills filling up and plastic waste pollution.
Long before circular economy entered policy discussions, waste workers were making it happen. Every day, they collect, sort, and recover materials, keeping resources in use. Yet, many remain invisible, largely informal, and overlooked.
As the transition to a circular economy accelerates, one question remains: who makes circularity possible – and who may be left behind?
Beyond green jobs: The need for decent work
The shift to a circular economy generates new jobs, but not all jobs are decent ones. The International Labour Organization (ILO) notes that without deliberate action, circular economy jobs can remain informal, unstable, or unsafe.
For many waste workers in the Philippines, this is already the reality. They recover and sort materials that would otherwise be discarded, supporting local waste systems and economies, often without safe conditions, fair income, protection, and recognition.
A truly circular economy is not only about materials in use. It is about ensuring the workers who make it possible are seen, protected, and valued. Across the Philippine cities, that change is beginning.
Baguio City: From informal work to recognized service
With more than 217,000 tons of waste generated annually, Baguio City continues to face growing pressure on its waste management systems. As the city strengthens its circular economy efforts, it is also taking steps to recognize the workers who have long played a role in keeping materials in use and waste out of landfills.
For Cris Vizcara, recently recognized as a Baguio City staff member for his 10 years of service, waste work began long before formal employment. As early as 2000, he was already volunteering in waste collection.
Residing in Barangay Irisan, Cris started at the dump site, where collection and sorting depended largely on daily effort and initiative. He joined truck routes, picking up garbage bags along the streets, loading them into trucks, sorting materials while in transit, and selling what could still be recovered.
Over time, he was trained by the city to operate heavy machinery used in its solid waste management projects. Through years of hands-on work, Cris developed a deep understanding of how waste moves through the city, from households to collection points and material recovery facilities.
In 2016, he formally joined the city as a staff member, initially assigned to street sweeping. Since then, he has taken on multiple roles and is now involved in information, education, and campaign efforts in barangays, reflecting a shift not only in his role, but in how waste work is valued.
This transition is part of a broader effort in Baguio City to strengthen its waste management system. As of 2025, 65 waste workers have been formalized, with regular contracts, clearer roles, basic social protection, and access to training.
Looking back at his experience and continuing work with over 40 waste volunteers in the city, Cris emphasizes the value of perseverance: “Sa tiyaga at pagpupursigi nila, makikita at makikita ng mga tao ang kahalagahan ng ginagamapanan nilang trabaho.” [“Through their hard work and persistence, people will come to see the importance of the work they do.”]
The city sees this as an instrumental piece of its shift toward a more circular approach, recognizing the importance of waste work and working with barangays and communities to improve coordination, support volunteers, and build pathways toward more stable roles.
At the barangay level, efforts in areas such as Irisan and Guisad Central continue to support waste workers through training, organization, and gradual integration into local systems. These initiatives show that improving waste management depends not only on infrastructure, but on people who sustain the system every day.
The change is clear: work that was once informal and often overlooked is now recognized as essential to the city’s environmental efforts.
Puerto Princesa: Organizing for dignity and recognition
The city generates around 241 metric tons of waste daily, with recyclable materials making up nearly a third of the city’s waste stream. Initiatives at the barangay level, such as Eco Kolek, are helping organize and support informal waste workers, locally known as Eco Warriors. Through the EU-Philippines Green Economy Partnership Community Grants, Eco Kolek supported the formation of the Samahan ng mga Mangangalakal ng Puerto Princesa (SMPP) in 2025, helping create pathways toward recognition, safer working conditions, and stronger community participation for waste workers.
For Glen Mark Castronuevo, waste work began as part of everyday life.
As a tricycle driver, Glen would pick up discarded materials along his routes, collecting what could still be sold. It was extra income, but also a routine shaped by what he saw on the streets. Over time, this informal practice became something more.
In 2025, Glen joined the Eco Warrior program by Eco Kolek, the EU-PH community grants recipient in Puerto Princesa. Through training and hands-on work, he began to take on a more structured role in waste collection and recovery. He learned not only how to manage materials more effectively, but also how waste work connects to broader efforts in reducing plastic pollution and supporting community systems.
As part of this process, Glen was elected President of the Samahan ng mga Mangangalakal ng Puerto Princesa (SMPP), representing a growing group of waste workers who are organizing for better livelihoods and recognition. His leadership played a key role in the registration of the organization under the Department of Labor and Employment, marking an important step toward formal recognition and access to social protection.
Today, his work goes beyond collecting and sorting. He supports the coordination of waste recovery efforts in the community, works with fellow members to strengthen their operations, and advocates for the rights and welfare of waste workers.
For Glen and the members of SMPP, the organization has made a difference. What was once individual, informal work is becoming more structured, with clearer roles and stronger support from local partners. Through certification, training, and registration, waste workers are gaining access to opportunities that were previously out of reach.
Their work at the barangay level is now being recognized by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office as an important part of Puerto Princesa’s waste management efforts. The model they are building is being looked at for replication across other barangays in the city.
“Ang pangarap po talaga namin bilang isang samahan ay magkaron ng sarili naming negosyong matatawag na sariling amin. Sa pagsasama-sama namin ay sana mabigyan kami ng pagkakataong maipakita na kaya naming tumayo sa mga sarili naming mga paa,” [“Our dream as an organization is to have a business that we can truly call our own. By working together, we hope to be given the opportunity to show that we can stand on our own feet,”] said Glen who envisions establishing their own recyclabes collection station along with the rest of the Eco Warriors.
The goal is not only to improve income. It is to show that their work has value, and that waste workers deserve to be recognized for the role they play in their communities, and the city.
Ormoc City: From Waste Picking to Participation
In Ormoc City, the transition to a circular economy is also changing how waste workers are seen and included in local systems. Through the Mas-Green Eco-Waste Pickers Association (MEPA), waste workers who once operated informally at the city's landfill are now organized partners in waste diversion and livelihood efforts.
For Rizalyn Dadis, Treasurer of MEPA, waste picking was once simply a way to survive. Working at the Ormoc City Eco-Waste Center in Barangay Green Valley, waste workers operated in difficult conditions, recovering materials with little equipment, protection, or recognition. In 2020, with support from the city, they organized into MEPA and began participating in training on financial management, waste recovery, and eco-brick production using recovered glass and plastics for civil works.
“Itong damit ko na ito, proud ako na galing sa nakuha ko mula sa landfill,” [“I am proud that the clothes I am wearing came from what I recovered from the landfill.”] Rizalyn shared as a resource person providing waste work perspective during last year’s GEDSI-focused gathering among partner cities.
Through support under the EU-Philippines Green Economy Partnership, MEPA members strengthened their operations, improved product quality, and expanded market access, helping transform informal waste picking into more organized livelihood opportunities. Members have since produced and sold thousands of eco-bricks used in local infrastructure projects, while also participating in city learning exchanges and circular economy activities.
Rizalyn recalled how their work as MEPA has evolved positively over the years.
“Dati, nangangalakal lang kami. Ngayon, kasama na kami sa mga plano ng lungsod tungkol sa basura at kabuhayan,” she said. [“Before, we were just scavenging. Now, we are part of the city’s plans for waste and livelihoods.”]
What was once informal and largely invisible work is now becoming part of how the city designs its circular economy systems.
Building a Circular Economy for All
Across these cities, one thing is clear. The transition to a circular economy is already happening, but its impact depends on how inclusive it becomes.
For local governments, integrating waste workers strengthens recovery systems.
For communities, it creates cleaner and healthier environments.
For families, it generates more stable sources of income.
At the center of this are people. A circular economy is not only about keeping materials in use, but about recognizing the workers who make that possible.
Supporting this shift, the European Union, through its Global Gateway initiative, is working with the Government of the Philippines under the EU-Philippines Green Economy Partnership. Through Specific Objective 2 on Green Local Government Units, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and co-implemented with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the United Nations Development Programme, the partnership supports cities in building more inclusive, locally led circular economy systems.
This includes strengthening how local governments recognize, support, and integrate informal waste workers into waste management systems, helping move from informal participation to safer, more stable, and more dignified livelihoods.
“Ormoc aims to be resilient and sustainable with an accountable, people-centered government. It is the people who are the true wealth of a city. As we grow, challenges like waste and environmental degradation will arise, but it is also the people who ensure that solutions are sustained. That is why our initiatives must always be inclusive.” Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez of the City of Ormoc, during the Champion Mayors panel of the National Inception Workshop held 2025.
As the country continues this transition, the focus must remain on inclusion. Systems need to support workers through better conditions, access to services, and clear roles within local economies.
A circular economy that works must work for everyone.
Earl Paulo Diaz, Outreach and Knowledge Management Specialist, EU-PH Green Economy Partnership
Moeko Saito-Jensen, Project Manager, EU-PH Green Economy Partnership
Carmen Roceli Lopez, GEDSI Specialist, EU-PH Green Economy Partnership
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