How might we
redesign waste coconuts?
Inside this issue
For our first issue, we tell six stories about six things going to waste, and the Filipinos who refuse to let them go: jeepneys that refuse to retire, coconut husks waiting to be transformed into building materials, and food waste that becomes food for the land.
In the Philippines, the landfill is where trash ends. But many Filipinos hold onto things as long as they can. They believe that the trash everyone else is throwing away is precious—and they are waiting for the rest of the country to catch up.
What could the Philippines look like if we decided the landfill wasn’t the last stop?
Table of Contents
The Women Waiting in Coconut Country
It takes years for a single coconut husk to decompose—with billions of coconut husks rotting in the Philippines, meet the people turning them into shoes, wood, and jobs.
The Eternal Business of Ukay-Ukay
Long before ukay was trendy, Filipinos were already extending the life of their clothes. What would it take to build a system out of that culture?
What the Agriculturists Leave Behind
In Davao, the Fruit Basket of the Philippines, food waste is abundant. A family of chocolate makers is transforming it into a soil conditioner that feeds their award-winning cacao.
No Country for Old Phones
In the phone-crazy Philippines, selling old units is part of everyday life. No one really stops to think, however, about what happens when no one’s buying.
The Barangay That Lives with Plastic
Barangay Potrero in Malabon and its Waste Warriors have managed their plastic crisis—except for the single-use sachets that are designed to be hard to get rid of.
When Jeepneys Outlive Their Drivers
The traditional jeepney was made by survivors—and it continues to survive, held together by recycled parts that endure for 30 years or longer. But now, in the name of sustainability, drivers are being told to give them an expiration date.
“The Filipinos who are creating things out of waste—or what is typically waste to the rest of us—are relentless. But as you will read in this issue, most Filipinos are.”
The issue, at a glance
The rack
Every story in this issue.
