Mondelez Philippines has launched a program to help turn plastic packaging waste into play areas for its adopted Joy Schools as part of its global 2025 commitment to make all packaging recyclable and provide recycling information.
The Joy Schools Plastic Play Areas project aims to engage the Joy Schools—a community program that provides a daily nine-month feeding for 300 undernourished students in the country—in collecting ecobricks or 1.5 or 1.75-liter plastic bottles which are stuffed with plastic packaging waste.
The partners’ employees are also tasked to collect ecobricks for this project. The target is to collect 400 ecobricks which are equivalent to some 400 kilos of plastic waste.
Once collected, these ecobricks will be turned into play areas for three Joy Schools in Metro Manila, located in Parañaque and Quezon City. The play areas will be constructed by construction firm First Balfour.
In this way, the students of the Joy Schools can learn about the importance of environmental protection and recycling, and have more opportunities to be active while enjoying their new play areas.
“We are excited about the launch of the Joy Schools Plastic Play Areas project,” shared Mondelez Philippines country director Ashish Pisharodi.
Pisharodi added, “Over the past years we have done similar projects to help promote the importance of recycling, including sharing of recycled plastic chairs with schools through our brand, Tang. With this new initiative, we will be able to support two things we value as a company: The well-being of our community and the planet.”
“It is critical that our actions today involve children, who will inherit the future. We must all work together to ensure the well-being of the planet which we will leave behind to them.”
First Balfour HR head Carlos Pedro Salonga said anyone can recycle and create their own ecobricks. It only takes three steps: First, collect dry and empty plastic packaging. Then cut them up into small pieces. Lastly, stuff them tightly inside the similarly clean and empty plastic bottles.
He reminded to ensure they do not bend and weigh about 1 kilo each. Finished products can then be used as building blocks for many projects.
“To date, we have built wash areas, benches, and buildings using ecobricks,” shared Salonga. “We are similarly excited to see our first recycled play areas come to life with Mondelez Philippines.”