The Iloilo Provincial Government, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines and supported by The Coca-Cola Foundation, has launched the Weave Out Waste (WOW) Limpyo Iloilo program. This initiative transforms post-election waste from the Limpyo Eleksyon 2025 into marketable consumer products, demonstrating a practical application of circular economy principles. The program builds on the province’s leadership in sustainable waste management and was enabled by an amended Executive Order No. 265, which expands the Limpyo Eleksyon initiative into a long-term circular economy effort. In May, the province collected over 49,000 kilograms of post-election waste, more than half of which was plastics, including tarpaulins and flexible plastics.
The WOW program empowers marginalized groups with skills in product design, prototyping, and upcycling, turning recovered tarpaulins, plastics, and other local materials into items like laundry and grocery bags, wallets, keychains, and placemats with coasters. The initiative emphasizes entrepreneurship and community-based artisan enterprises, creating local economic opportunities, strengthening capacity to sustain upcycling efforts, and diverting plastic waste from landfills and waterways.
UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran highlighted that the project engages women, informal waste sector workers, and local organizations representing vulnerable groups to ensure that upcycled products meet market demands while promoting inclusive economic opportunities. The pilot rollout included 40 participants from Talongonan, Passi City, and other local government units, who attended a two-day intensive skills training focusing on design thinking, sustainability, and practical upcycling techniques.
Iloilo Governor Arthur R. Defensor, Jr. emphasized the province’s commitment to integrating circular economy practices into Limpyo Eleksyon 2025 and future initiatives, aiming to promote sustainable resource use, reduce plastic waste, and provide better economic opportunities across communities. Beyond upcycling, the PH Plastics Circularity Project seeks to enhance local waste management systems, integrate circular economy principles into policies, and support sustainable business models that benefit the informal waste sector and disadvantaged groups.
The project is implemented in collaboration with the Iloilo Provincial Government and local government units of Banate, Dumangas, Iloilo City, Passi City, and Pototan, highlighting a coordinated effort to promote sustainable practices and behavior change around plastic use and collection.
