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Philippines: two training sessions for local recycling entrepreneurs
After two weeks of waiting in Hong Kong Bay due to typhoons, the Plastic Odyssey vessel finally set sail for the Philippines. The arrival in the capital, Manila, was delayed by an additional two days due to another typhoon, but the ship reached the Eva Macapagal Port on Monday, November 18, 2024, for two weeks of packed activities.
OnBoard Laboratory: 21th Edition of the Onboard Training Program for Recycling Actors in Manila
On the agenda: the inauguration of the first recycling micro-factory in the Philippines, in partnership with DELFINGEN, as well as numerous visits onboard the vessel and, of course, the Onboard Laboratory, a training program dedicated to local entrepreneurs.
This first entrepreneur session welcomed about ten participants onboard for three days. The participants came from diverse backgrounds, with a majority already involved in the recycling sector.
Meet the Entrepreneurs
Mica Agregado – Plastics by Manila Automat
The first entrepreneur to board was Mica Agregado from Plastics by Manila Automat, a company that creates small recycled plastic sheets and offers research and development workshops to help businesses design new products. Mica focuses on small-scale production, combining awareness-raising with R&D.
Koshneir Sarte Jimenez – Resiklo
Next, Koshneir Sarte Jimenez from Resiklo presented his recycling machines, which he builds himself. After several years of development, he has transitioned from small machines to larger-scale equipment. The exchange with the Plastic Odyssey team was productive, particularly regarding new machine designs.
Pia Ocampo – Pure Oceans
Pia Ocampo from the NGO Pure Oceans works on waste management on an island with no budget allocated for this task. Waste there is often openly burned. Pia was very interested in the semi-industrial solutions proposed by Plastic Odyssey, which she believes are perfectly suited to her island context.
Sophia Gomez and Juvien Galano – Dewaste Solutions
We also welcomed Sophia Gomez and Juvien Galano from Dewaste Solutions, an organization developing Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs)—collection centers where residents can sort and drop off their waste. Their project stands out for its mobile aspect, which allows them to reach more people. Sophia places a strong emphasis on community awareness.
Joseph Valdez – Klimatech
A project further down the value chain was presented by Joseph Valdez from Klimatech, who works on vertical wind turbines. Joseph was looking to understand how to integrate recycled materials into his renewable energy project. This created a great synergy with Plastic Odyssey’s approach to decentralized solutions, whether for energy access or waste management.
Butte and Marissa – Precious Plastic Philippines
We also received Butte and Marissa from Precious Plastic Philippines, members of the Precious Plastic community, who have been building small-scale recycling machines for over seven years. They have recently started scaling up and were very interested in business models that could be developed around a recycling micro-factory.
Vanessa and Donn – Alon & Araw
Finally, Vanessa and Donn from the NGO Alon & Araw shared their community project, which aims to organize beach cleanups and educate children about waste management. They are also working to improve access to sports for young people in Cabangan, north of Manila. Lourie, a young employee of Alon & Araw, joined Plastic Odyssey as a local volunteer and enthusiastically led student tours in Tagalog throughout our month-long expedition in the Philippines. She had the opportunity to sail and live onboard with us, bringing invaluable energy to this adventure.
This first session of the Onboard Laboratory was a great success, with entrepreneurs who already had solid experience and sharp questions about recycling. The exchanges were extremely enriching, and the entrepreneurs had the opportunity to discover the onboard micro-factories as well as the brand-new Plastic Odyssey micro-factory.
OnBoard Laboratory: 22th Edition of the Onboard Training Program for Recycling Actors in Cebu
After these two weeks of stopover, the vessel set sail for Cebu, in the southern Philippines, for another series of workshops. There, the Onboard Laboratory hosted a smaller group of four passionate entrepreneurs.
This first entrepreneur session welcomed about ten participants onboard for three days. The participants came from diverse backgrounds, with a majority already involved in the recycling sector.
Meet the Entrepreneurs
Edouard Bucard Jr. – Clip Management Foundation
The first participant, Edouard Bucard Jr. from Clip Management Foundation, works in industrial communities to initiate waste sorting at the source so that it can be repurposed.
Rodex Rosendo – Municipality of Bantayan
The second participant, Rodex Rosendo from the municipality of Bantayan, tackles the collection of more than three tons of plastic waste per day in a city of nearly 100,000 residents. Currently, this waste is transported to Cebu, generating significant logistical costs. Rodex was seeking local solutions to repurpose this waste.
Ivan Canancia
Ivan Canancia, meanwhile, works with hotels as an artist and logistics consultant. He is interested in the possibility of using locally recycled plastics in hospitality products.
Margaret Ortiz – Margo Craft Shop
The last participant, Margaret Ortiz, founder of Margo Craft Shop, has an inspiring story. A former nurse and daughter of carpenters, she decided to turn to craftsmanship, creating wooden souvenirs for hotels and local markets. She now employs ten people and hopes to diversify her creations by working with recycled plastic.
After these two very busy weeks in Cebu, including a second micro-factory inauguration in Cebu, again in partnership with DELFINGEN, the stopover is coming to an end. Part of the team is returning to France for the Christmas holidays, while the ship will undergo technical maintenance in the Philippines before setting sail again toward Vietnam or Malaysia.
OnBoard Laboratory, our incubation program for recycling entrepreneurs
At each stopover on the expedition, the Plastic Odyssey vessel welcomes on board several local recycling entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and develop concrete solutions to combat plastic pollution.