A kilo of rice for plastic waste feeds hungry villagers in the Philippines

One person's trash can be another person's meal for some villagers in the Philippines with a rice-for-plastics programme launched to help the environment and feed the public.

Since June, officials from Bayanan village on the outskirts of Manila started exchanging a kilogram of rice for every two kilos of plastic waste they can accumulate. The waste collected is then given to the national government for proper disposal or recycling. A kilo of rice costs around 0.70 US dollars, which is costly for people living under the poverty line with a monthly consumption of 241 US Dollars. Village chief says for the month of August, over 213 kilograms of sachets, bottles and plastic bags have been collected, with more families getting interested in the programme.