Jonathan Frederic De Santos

Article (news)

Malabon refilling

Francis Orcio

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17862491725051786245058935906.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Pagkakaisa ng Mamamayan ng Barangay Dampalit  president Melvin Loseño demonstrates use of the community-run refill station. Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — In flood-prone Barangay Dampalit in Malabon City, residents are turning an everyday household chore — buying cooking oil, soy sauce and other essentials — into a grassroots effort to reduce plastic waste.</p><p>Instead of purchasing sachet-packed condiments and other household products, residents are increasingly bringing their own containers to a community-run refill station operated by the Pagkakaisa ng Mamamayan ng Barangay Dampalit (PMBD).</p><p>The initiative, launched in 2025 with support from environmental group EcoWaste Coalition, lets residents to purchase products such as cooking oil, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and dishwashing liquid without having to take home another piece of single-use packaging.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/8/1/not-all-plastic-alternatives-are-green-advocates-warn-as-philippines-confronts-sachet-economy-0100">Not all plastic alternatives are green, advocates warn as Philippines confronts ‘sachet economy’</a></div><p>For resident Linie Loseño, the practice has become part of her household routine.</p><p>She shifted to the refill system last year and now keeps her kitchen supplies in reusable glass containers.</p><p>She said the arrangement helps her save money while also reducing the amount of waste generated at home.</p><p>“Mas maganda naman po at mas maano po iyong kita. Mas maayos naman po,” Loseño said when asked about her experience with the system.</p><p>(It works well and it helps increase my profit. This is better.)</p><p>The products she purchases are used both for cooking at home and for the goods she sells through her small business.</p><p>For Loseño, however, the benefits go beyond savings.</p><p>She said the initiative helps decrease plastic waste in the community and that she no longer buys packaged products outside.</p><div> </div><div><strong>A SOLUTION SHAPED BY FLOODING</strong></div><p>For PMBD president Melvin Loseño, the refill program is not simply a livelihood project. It is also a response to a problem that residents of Dampalit regularly experience: Flooding worsened by waste entering waterways.</p><p>The organization began the initiative after EcoWaste Coalition became its partner and provided support to establish and sustain the refill business.</p><p>Melvin said PMBD saw the program as an opportunity to provide its members with basic goods while reducing their dependence on plastic packaging.</p><p>“Perwisyo po dito sa amin &#x27;yan (plastic) kasi kapag nagbara po, tataas ang tubig, kami na po ang napi-perwisyo, papasok po sa loob ng bahay namin iyong tubig,&quot; he added.</p><p>(Plastic is a problem for use here because if they block waterways, we get flooded and we are the ones who suffer. The water goes into our homes.)</p><p>Dampalit residents face an additional practical reason to patronize the community refill station: the neighborhood is relatively far from the public market, and traveling outside becomes more difficult during rainy weather.</p><p>Melvin said the refill station now serves the organization’s 89 member families.</p><p>“Interesado rin po sila kasi katulad niyan, malayo po kami, dito po kami sa loob, malayo po sa labas, sa palengke. Katulad niyan na bumabaha, interesado po sila na magkaroon kami ng negosyo rito na katulad itong refilling, dito na sila po bibili sa amin,” he said.</p><p>Aside from dishwashing liquid, vinegar, fish sauce and soy sauce, PMBD has expanded its offerings to include cooking gas and other goods that can be sold with less reliance on plastic packaging.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17862488198561786245058168283.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><strong>SMALL REDUCTION, BIGGER AMBITION</strong></div><p>Melvin acknowledged that the refill system has not eliminated plastic waste in Dampalit, but officers have observed a modest reduction since the program began.</p><p>The community, however, continues to receive plastic and other debris from outside during storms.</p><p>Melvin pointed to damage to flood-control infrastructure in the area as one reason waste continues to enter the community.</p><p>“Katulad nito, sira na po iyong mega dike namin d&#x27;yan, pumapasok lahat ng basura dito po sa amin,” he said.</p><p>(Our mega dike is damaged, so garbage enters our area.)</p><p>PMBD officers therefore continue collecting plastic bottles and other recoverable materials for reuse or resale, while also conducting cleanups within the community.</p><p>For PMBD, the refill station is intended to become a long-term program rather than a temporary environmental campaign.</p><p>Melvin said the group hopes to expand the business and potentially establish another refill station as demand grows, allowing more residents to access the system while further reducing plastic waste.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/technology/2026/8/6/bohol-adopts-app-to-track-plastic-pollution-1401">Bohol adopts app to track plastic pollution</a></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17862490194061786245059104413_1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Francis Orcio, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div> </div><div><strong>A COMMUNITY ANSWER TO THE SACHET ECONOMY</strong></div><p>The Dampalit experience reflects a broader challenge in the Philippines, where consumers have long relied on small, single-use sachets, and pouches because they allow households to purchase goods in affordable quantities.</p><p>The World Bank estimates that the country generates about 1.7 million metric tons of post-consumer plastic waste annually, with more than 300,000 metric tons leaking into the ocean each year. It also estimates that Filipinos consume nearly 164 million plastic sachets daily.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/business/09/03/19/slave-to-sachets-how-poverty-worsens-plastics-crisis-in-the-philippines">Slave to sachets: How poverty worsens plastics crisis in the Philippines</a></div><p>Environmental advocates have argued that addressing the problem requires more than simply replacing plastic with another disposable material. Instead, they have promoted reuse and refill systems that allow consumers to continue buying products in quantities they can afford without generating new packaging with every purchase.</p><p>EcoWaste Coalition campaigner Kweyn Tagaduar previously emphasized that effective alternatives must be accessible and affordable to communities.</p><p>“Dito, kailangan lang i-practice iyong circular economy na umiikot po iyong paggamit at hindi na kailangan bumili pa, paulit-ulit,” she said.</p><p>(Here, they just need to practice the circular economy where they reuse the containers and don&#x27;t need to buy plastic containers again and again.)</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div style="text-align:center"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/znAw5pio1pI?si=LFYC5X6DBMuPOFXg" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br/></div>

<p>The initiative, launched in 2025 with support from environmental group EcoWaste Coalition, allows residents to purchase products such as cooking oil, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and dishwashing liquid without having to take home another piece of single-use packaging.</p>

The initiative, launched in 2025 with support from environmental group EcoWaste Coalition, allows residents to purchase products such as cooking oil, vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and dishwashing liquid without having to take home another piece of single-use packaging.

In flood-prone Malabon, refill system turns everyday shopping into a zero-waste solution

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In flood-prone Malabon, refill system turns everyday shopping into a zero-waste solution

Francis Orcio,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 09, 2026 12:23 PM PHT

Read More:

Sustainability

Plastic Waste

Single-Use Plastic

Malabon City

EcoWaste Coalition

Flood

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