Refill and reuse are genuine solutions

With the Philippine waste crisis underscored this year by several

landfill disasters across the country, the clamor for solutions has only become louder. Each tragic outcome and dangerous turn of events has led to Filipinos demanding action and calling for accountability. It’s high time we look at the problems not as isolated cases, but as symptoms of a systemic failure to address the waste and plastic pollution crises at source. In doing so, we not only prevent these incidents from recurring and address the crisis, but also avoid falling into the trap of false solutions.

The government and companies cannot wait for the next tragedy or public health threat to take action, but the solutions and measures we adopt must also be safe, just and environmentally sound. The recent disasters have resulted in an influx of waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration proposals, an alarming trend that has followed every landfill incident.

Waste-to-energy projects are alarming for many reasons. They harm health, pollute our environment and worsen climate change while being highly inefficient. The incineration process releases hazardous pollutants like heavy metals, dioxins and furans, which are linked to respiratory diseases, reproductive issues and cancer. Burning waste, especially plastic, emits substantial amounts of greenhouse gases, actively contributing to the climate crisis.

These facilities also exacerbate existing social inequities by being disproportionately located in marginalized, low-income communities, subjecting them to degraded air quality and health burdens. Beyond these risks, WTE is an expensive and inefficient power source that creates long-term debt for local governments and discourages essential zero waste approaches. Also, instead of motivating cities to reduce and prevent waste, WTE actually demands the continuous generation of waste.

To make matters worse, waste-to-energy also enables the business-as-usual systems at the root of the plastic and waste crisis.

Our waste management problem is rooted in a corporate-driven crisis of plastic overproduction. Waste management systems are overwhelmed by an exploding volume of single-use plastics, a direct result of businesses hooking consumers on a sachet economy and disposable culture. Instead of finding ways to reduce waste and curb plastic pollution, WTE allows corporations to continue externalizing the lifecycle costs of their single-use products and packaging.

But what are the options left for our cities? The answer has been around since the beginning. Reuse systems, including returnable packaging and refill models, were the norm before single-use formats were introduced.

Before plastic, the Philippines historically practiced a tingi-tingi culture that relied on reusable containers and refilling goods from larger storage.

Today, this tradition is still visible in various forms, such as water refilling stations and drinks in reusable glass bottles, which are accessible throughout the country. Modern reuse models can build upon this cultural foundation by formalizing and scaling refill systems for consumer goods, providing Filipinos with an alternative to sachets and single-use plastics.

Reuse and refill systems are considered superior upstream solutions because they prevent pollution at the source by reducing production and the overall volume of single-use plastics in circulation. Unlike downstream waste management, which struggles to handle the sheer volume of plastic waste, these systems eliminate harmful outcomes across the entire lifecycle of a product – including climate, public health and biodiversity impacts – before they even develop.

This World Refill Day, we have to recognize that reuse systems like refill models are the real solutions Filipinos need. They provide environmental and socioeconomic benefits while curbing the systemic

dependence on single-use plastics. What we need from the government and corporations now is to reduce plastic production and begin a just transition to a reuse economy that benefits all.

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Marian Ledesma is a Zero Waste Campaigner at Greenpeace Philippines.