The Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) has recognized Iloilo City as Western Visayas’ best-performing local government unit in implementing the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

The citation was conferred during the 25th anniversary of Republic Act 9003 in Quezon City. The award was accepted by General Services Office (GSO) head Niel Ravena on behalf of the city government.

The DENR-EMB recognized Iloilo City for recovering and upcycling election campaign tarpaulins from the 2025 polls into eco-bags. This initiative provided an alternative livelihood to about 60 waste pickers from the Calahunan dumpsite.

The program stood out for its inclusiveness and focus on circularity. Waste pickers directly benefited as workers repurposed election tarpaulins, not just collected them, said Ravena.

The city collected about 14 tons of election tarpaulins and continues processing them under the upcycling program.

Ravena added that the local government is developing training programs to produce more products from recovered tarpaulins.

According to the GSO head, Iloilo City’s approach is distinct because it organizes waste pickers to recover and process materials.

The workers received sewing machines funded through plastic credits. This did not use direct spending from the city government.

Under the plastic credit system, enterprises such as Evergreen purchase credits equivalent to the amount of plastic diverted from waste. The credits are used to purchase equipment and support recyclers.

The Calahunan Materials Recovery Facility processes about 10 tons of waste daily, recovering two to three tons of plastics.

The facility handles common recyclables, such as PET bottles, as well as low-density, flexible plastics, which are made into eco-boards. Tetra packs are repurposed into ropes.

“The DENR recognized our recovery of large volumes of plastics and upcycled materials typically considered residual waste. This is among Iloilo City’s best practices,” said Ravena.

The city is aiming to further increase the volume of plastics recovered and grow the number of plastic credits.

Through these efforts, Iloilo City expects to support more waste pickers and expand its circular economy programs, aiming to create additional livelihood opportunities and more upcycled products.IMT