The ICTSI Foundation has signed a partnership agreement with Finnish NGO RiverRecycle to pioneer a financially sustainable river waste collection system for the Pasig River in the Philippines’ capital city of Manila.
The ICTSI Foundation is providing USD1 million in funding for RiverRecycle’s implementation of the project, which complements existing efforts to revive one of the country’s main waterways.
The project has two components, the first of which is the collection of plastic waste from the river using a device designed by RiverRecycle to capture between 70 and 200 tons of waste daily. The collected plastic waste will be converted into oil before being converted back into plastic.
The second component is the implementation of an awareness campaign to empower local communities to adopt more responsible waste management behaviors – a key step to reduce and eventually eliminate plastic pollution.
The plastic waste collection project perfectly aligns with ongoing waste management initiatives under the Parola Solid Waste Management Project, which the ICTSI Foundation implements in coordination with and assistance from the City of Manila and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Aside from removing waste debris from the Pasig River, the project is also expected to reduce the number of water hyacinths, which impede the flow of water, resulting in increased sedimentation.
ABOUT RIVERRECYCLE
Riverrecycle Oy was founded in 2019 with the aim of creating financially sustainable solutions to the plastic problem and delivering river cleaning as a free service to affected communities. RiverRecycle is currently working on sustainable river plastic solutions in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Uganda, Vietnam.
ABOUT THE ICTSI FOUNDATION
The ICTSI Foundation is a dynamic and active collaborator of the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Group that cares and looks out for not only the communities of the Group’s business units but society at large. Anchored on youth development, social welfare and protection of the environment, the Foundation helps keep these communities safe, sustainable, thriving and empowered.