From waste to resource

How Rotary is driving environmental and social change in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, a Rotary-funded Waste to Resource Hub is transforming plastic pollution and poverty into opportunity by turning hard-to-recycle waste into building materials, creating jobs and inspiring a new community-led circular economy.

In the Philippines, plastic pollution and poverty go hand in hand. Many low-income communities rely on cheap, single-use packaging – plastic sachets of shampoo, coffee and detergent – because it’s all they can afford. But these plastics are almost impossible to recycle and, in a country with limited waste infrastructure, they often end up in streets, rivers and open dumpsites. The result is a growing environmental crisis that hits the poorest communities the hardest.

In the town of Victoria, Laguna, an innovative Rotary-funded project is turning plastic waste into opportunity, one brick at a time.

A hub for environmental and social change

Funded through a Rotary Foundation global grant, the Waste to Resource Hub is a small-scale plastic processing facility that transforms hard-to-recycle plastics into practical, sellable products like eco-bricks and pavers, while creating dignified employment and raising environmental awareness.

The project brings together Rotary clubs in Australia and the Philippines, with implementation led by Australian not-for-profit Dana Asia and Nexuz, a Filipino enterprise providing the plastic recycling technology and operational training, in an ambitious effort to tackle two major urban challenges: plastic pollution and poverty. The result is a sustainable, community-powered model that doesn’t just manage waste, it redefines it as a resource.

How the hub works

The Waste to Resource Hub works with local government units to coordinate and collect household waste and discarded plastics from the local area, particularly the single-use items common in low-income neighbourhoods. These plastics are cleaned, sorted, shredded and processed using Nexuz’s innovative small-scale recycling equipment. Importantly, the hub also creates direct employment opportunities for local residents, offering training, fair wages and a path toward long-term economic empowerment.

The end products are durable, low-cost materials that can be used in local construction or sold through neighbourhood markets. By keeping the entire process local, from collection to production to distribution, the hub reduces emissions, improves accountability and strengthens community ownership.

Empowering communities alongside environmental action

The hub is also supported by complementary initiatives led by Dana Asia, including eco stores and eco sari-sari stores (eco SSTs) – community-run microbusinesses that promote plastic reduction through zero-waste retailing. These stores sell everyday essentials in refillable or plastic-free formats, helping shift consumer habits away from single-use packaging.

Beyond retail, the stores serve as community collection points for clean plastic waste, which is then delivered to the Waste to Resource Hub for processing. They also act as local champions for environmental advocacy, engaging customers and neighbours in conversations about sustainability, responsible consumption and waste reduction.

These initiatives play a vital role in supporting the Hub’s impact by building awareness, encouraging household-level action and strengthening the local circular economy.

Rotary’s role: Catalysing grassroots innovation

This project exemplifies Rotary’s power to turn local ideas into scalable impact. Through The Rotary Foundation’s global grant and the dedication of its partner clubs, the Waste to Resource Hub was able to move from concept to reality. It contributes directly to Rotary’s areas of focus by:

• Protecting the environment through local plastic recovery and recycling
• Growing local economies via job creation and microenterprise support
• Strengthening communities through grassroots participation and leadership

Impact to date

• 7.2 tonnes of plastic recycled into sustainable building materials per year
• 12 jobs created in hub operations and plastic sorting
• Community engagement campaigns increasing awareness and waste sorting at source

Looking ahead: A model for expansion

With early success and growing community interest, the Waste to Resource Hub is ready to be replicated in new communities. Dana Asia is already exploring additional sites in collaboration with other local Rotary club partners. The model is intentionally low-cost, adaptable and designed for replication, offering a path to build more hubs across the country and, eventually, the region.

In a city where plastic waste often overwhelms public infrastructure, the Rotary-supported Waste to Resource Hub is showing what’s possible when local innovation meets global partnership. It’s not just about managing waste – it’s about changing the way communities value it.