The Philippines is well-known for its susceptibility to typhoons. In late July, Typhoon Gaemi (local name Carina) hit the country, leading to a state of calamity being declared in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.
As the flood began to subside, President Bongbong Marcos visited parts of Metro Manila to provide relief and speak to local leaders. In an interview, he stated, “I hope people learn not to throw trash (anywhere). The garbage blocked our pump stations…” This is not the first time that flooding has been blamed on Filipinos themselves, particularly the urban poor, and their waste management practices.
Why focus on the urban poor? Primarily because they are often settled near smaller bodies of water such as rivers, creeks and canals, making them the usual suspects in garbage dumping and waste production. This article, drawing on years of fieldwork in Tondo and Manila, and personal experiences in this author’s hometown of Malabon Metro Manila, seeks to debunk the myth of the so-called “lack of discipline” among urban poor communities that is being linked to the clogging of waterways and flooding.
First, the urban poor recycle following the ways and means they know best. In Tondo, children as young as eight know how to segregate and identify recyclables. They are able to sort different types of cartons and papers, and to classify different types and colours of bottles.
They develop these skills as they see the adults around them scavenge and sell various items in junk shops. They also reuse everything that can be reused — from tarpaulins to protect their homes from rain to containers for storing food and water. The urban poor, constrained by limited resources, often find innovative ways to repurpose and extend the life of products and, hence, minimise waste.
The urban poor who are blamed for lacking discipline are often more diligent in reusing, reducing, and recycling than others, and their consumption patterns are generally less wasteful.
Second, the urban poor are trapped in a “sachet economy” in which they rely, by necessity and not by choice, on small, single-use packaged goods. Like those who buy in larger quantities, the urban poor understand they could save money by buying in bulk.
However, they cannot afford to buy a one-litre shampoo bottle and still have enough for meals the same day. If they buy a one-litre bottle of cooking oil, they will not be able to give pocket money to their children attending school. The multinational corporations producing vast amounts of single-use packages target economically disadvantaged consumers. Unsurprisingly, these easily disposed packages tend to accumulate as waste.
Third, the fast food industry contributes waste in significant but overlooked ways. The Google Street View photo below, taken in 2018, shows waste being dumped by malls and fast food chains in Happy Land Tondo Manila, an area known for its densely populated informal settlements, where many residents often rely on scavenging for survival.
Amid the mound of trash, we can spot some bags, like the open green bag (circled), that are filled with sorted plastic spoons and forks. Fast food operations continually use plastic utensils in line with the industry’s need for cost-effectiveness, efficiency and speed. Although city-level measures are being implemented to discourage them from providing plastic utensils to customers dining in, they continue to do so.
Once these bags arrive in garbage dumps, the urban poor community members sort them out and sell them in recycling compounds. However, most of the fast food industry’s waste keeps piling up.
Fourth, infrastructure like Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) are found in some barangays (local districts) but often fall short in operations, maintenance and monitoring. In many areas, a single truck collects all waste, regardless of whether it is recyclable or biodegradable, and the collectors themselves attempt to organise and segregate the waste inside the truck manually.
Additionally, elderly residents and children from poor urban neighbourhoods often roam around barangays with their karitons (carts), calling out “Dyaryo, papel, bote!” (newspapers, paper, bottles!), and collect broken appliances from households to be sold in junk shops. Their efforts, alongside those of the garbage collectors, highlight the gaps in the formal waste management system.
Lastly, it is necessary to probe the histories of large-scale government projects and consider how they have often overlooked the local ecological dynamics and the relationship of communities with their environments. Projects in areas filled with natural rivers and canals, in particular, should be designed to fit the environment rather than to take it over.
Without considering the structural causes of flooding and the local environmental context, be it in Metro Manila or other parts of the Philippines, such projects are doomed to fail and may even exacerbate existing problems. Flood management must also take an integrated approach that coordinates efforts and provides support to residents and barangays to take ownership of the endeavour.
Reflecting on the above, the urban poor who are blamed for lacking discipline are often more diligent in reusing, reducing and recycling than others, and their consumption patterns are generally less wasteful. Unfortunately, as we can see in the news, they are also the ones who are impacted the worst during typhoons and flooding.
They are the first to evacuate their homes and the last to return. It is, therefore, important for politicians and policymakers to address the intersecting issues of poverty, waste management and environmental degradation rather than perpetuating harmful stereotypes against the poor.
This article was first published in Fulcrum, ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute’s blogsite.
