Recycled Trash Bags

Urban poor women in the Philippines: turning trash to gold through recycling dump material.

For an inspiring real-life story on recycling and creativity, see a Manila womens' coop recycling dump materials to make a small living. The group, composed of a hundred women from depressed areas in Manila, came together to try to make a difference to their lives. Scrounging in dumpsites, looking for discarded newspapers and packs of juice and sauces may not be a pretty picture for some. But it brought around AUS$83 000 in 2004 to the women of Barangay de la Paz and in slum areas in Payatas and Project 8, Quezon City. Through recycled crafts, these women not only created a livelihood but also made a difference by cleaning the environment of trash.

In a Marie Claire November 2005 article by Owen Santos entitled “These Women are Trend Setters,” some of the women behind this craft group were featured. One such person was Marilyn Rivera, 23, who at 18 got married and pregnant. Her husband beat her (he later went to jail for reasons she wouldn’t disclose), and she got remarried. Her brood of 4 kids made everyday a struggle for survival. Other women who have now joined the group, barely made Php2,000 (AUS$52) every month, but by creating around 10 pieces in a week, they could earn Php5,000 (AUS$130). With materials from the Payatas dumpsite collected, taken apart, thoroughly washed and sanitised and bought at Php0.40 a piece, they converted trash into colorful bags that can be sold up to AUS$60 each abroad. These bags always had to meet strict quality standards. They copied and invented newer styles, from evening clutches to multi-compartment wallets and aprons.They operate under the global Fair Trade system - a movement focusing on exports from developing countries to developing countries.