On a busy afternoon, we met Mae De Asis, 43, and Ronalie Gallarde, 41, two remarkable women waste workers from the coastal municipality of Dumangas in Iloilo Province, central Philippines. At the town's Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where operations run like clockwork, women waste workers meticulously sort through large piles of recyclables, from dirty plastic bottles and soft plastics to rusty tin cans and discarded appliances. With their focus and tough grind, these unsung heroes prevent tons of plastics and other wastes from reaching the landfills, or worse, entering the ocean and waterways.

Driven by poverty, Mae and Ronalie spent years as informal waste pickers before being employed by the local government's solid waste management unit. For Mae, who has also struggled with a physical disability, waste picking became her lifeline. She detailed the hardships she faced in the past as an informal waste picker.

"In my case, I couldn't find other jobs. This is the job that I can handle given my disability," Mae explained.

"Sometimes, it would take me months to sell the trash I have collected. Since I could use only one arm for my job, I could not collect as much as the others. I would even fall and trip when taking bundles of trash." Determined to live independently, she managed to make ends meet with her PHP 200 ($4.00) daily earnings back in 2016. "What I earned came from sorting recyclables. Even before this MRF was built, I was already doing this. I would be sorting late into the night," she added.

The Philippines’ Iloilo Province, known for its vibrant tourism, agriculture, and fishing sectors, has seen rapid population growth, increased consumption, and a surge in single-use plastics over the years. With limited segregation, recycling, and waste management systems, the informal waste sector plays a key role in addressing the gaps and protecting coastal communities in Dumangas.

Despite their significant contribution to the sustainable growth of cities and protection of vital ecosystems, informal waste collectors - particularly women and persons with disabilities - continue to endure discrimination and threats, face significant risks to their health, and have limited access to opportunities within the formal economy value chain.

Ronalie, a mother of three who learned the trade from her mother at the age of five, believes that recognizing the role of informal waste workers is the first step in protecting their wellbeing and safety. “Because sometimes when we walk around, people think we’re thieves. If we had IDs, it would be more formal, proving we’re working,” she explained.

With the strong leadership of Flosel Almirante, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) head of Dumangas, Ronalie and Mae were formalized and integrated into the town’s solid waste management force. “Someone saw us scavenging, and then Ma’am Flosel approached us and told us to apply. She noticed we were already collecting and sorting bottles, biodegradable and non-biodegradable. She gave us the idea to get proper work and a salary, Ronalie shared.

Apart from the hard labor and risks that come with waste work, women face other unique challenges. In the Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) report* conducted by the National Plastic Action Partnership Philippines (NPAP), preliminary findings reveal that women engaged in waste work are often at a disadvantage compared to men due to prevailing gender norms, limited childcare support, and safety risks.

"It was hard because sometimes I had to leave my children behind, unable to care for them. Before having a regular wage, we often worked overtime, segregating everything we collected late into the night. [At times], I’d bring my two small kids along, make them sit on a piece of cardboard while I worked—just so I could help my husband earn something,” Ronalie explained.

Ronalie continues to push herself to fulfill her dream to provide for her family, noting that she is: “proud of what I do, doing waste work. It helps me support my kids. I can send my children to school and, hopefully, see them finish their studies—all from segregating trash. I just hope I won’t lose this [government] job and that my work will stay steady,” Ronalie added.

The PH Plastics Circularity Project implemented by UNDP Philippines with support from The Coca-Cola Foundation is working with Iloilo Province, including the municipalities of Dumangas, Banate, and Pototan, and the City Governments of Iloilo and Passi to help improve waste management systems, increase plastics recovery, and ensure that the informal waste sector and marginalized groups are integrated into circular economy (CE) efforts.

In Dumangas, the project will advance circularity, build on and scale the ongoing environmental and solid waste management initiatives, particularly in enhancing the town’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). This includes providing technical expertise for the design and implementation of MRF upgrades, complemented by capital investment in waste management equipment. 

These improvements will help boost waste recovery, while also creating safer, inclusive, and more efficient working conditions for local waste collectors. Ronalie and Mae were among waste workers who received personal protection equipment (PPE) from the project, such as industrial gloves and masks, safety goggles, safety boots, and brimmed hats. 

To support more women like Ronalie and Mae, the project is also working to develop a sustainable business model that enables waste workers and other marginalized groups to build their capacity to earn additional income while improving access to essential social security services. 

For Ronalie, the impact of her work goes beyond supporting her family. “We’re just doing honest work. What matters is that we collect and segregate the garbage to keep the surroundings clean. We’re helping many people. We hope they won’t throw plastics into rivers, seas, or anywhere; instead, we should gather them properly. Because plastic harms our fish and our environment," she notes.

Mae echoed the same: “We work to keep things clean; Our work is clean, and we work with dignity."

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*Preliminary findings from GEDSI report conducted by the National Plastic Action Partnership