A new materials recovery facility (MRF) aimed at tackling plastic waste was inaugurated Tuesday at the Biñan Ecopark through a public-private partnership between PepsiCo Philippines, Evergreen Labs Philippines, and the local government of Biñan.
The project is part of Loop Lokal, a sustainability initiative launched last year to improve how communities collect, process, and repurpose post-consumer plastic waste. The facility—equipped with mechanized sorting lines, plastic crushers, and baling machines—enhances processing efficiency and serves as a working model of circular economy in action.
“This is what we mean when we talk about a market-based virtuous cycle,” said PepsiCo’s corporate affairs head Christopher Ilagan, highlighting how waste can be transformed into high-value products such as furniture and construction materials.
Evergreen Labs managing director Erica Cardoso noted that the project revives idle government-supplied equipment and localizes recycling solutions. All plastic types, including sachets and multilayer packaging, are now being upcycled instead of ending up in landfills.
The initiative supports the implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act, and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has expressed interest in backing similar locally driven efforts nationwide.
The City Environment Office reiterated its commitment to supporting homegrown enterprises in industrial parks aligned with the EPR law. Evergreen Labs also announced a second facility slated for 2025, reinforcing the long-term goal of a scalable and inclusive circular economy.
