MANILA -- A global social enterprise believes poverty and plastic pollution are interconnected, and the world’s most impoverished communities could earn a stable income by removing plastics from the environment.

David Katz, founder and chief executive officer of Plastic Bank, said the Philippines is doing well in ensuring extended producer responsibility, or ensuring that producers are responsible for the material and plastic they put out into the environment. 

But he noted that the country could do more in terms of teaching Filipinos to manage their waste.

"When we look globally, the amount of plastic entering the ocean, we can see that 80 percent is coming from areas of poverty. And we still have long way to go within the Philippines into what we can address in all of the islands."

Katz's Plastic Bank has over 200 locations nationwide. They encourage impoverished people to collect trash, then in return give them access to a bank account, access to zero interest loans, or vouchers for food and insurance.

Philippines contributes to over one-third of world's ocean plastic waste - study

--ANC, 23 April 2024