Residents in one of the poorest slums of the Philippines—a country among the world’s biggest contributors to plastic pollution—earn money by picking through waste and selling what they find to the area’s recycling shops
A young girl standing among the rubbish in Happyland shows off her puppy. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. An entrance to Happyland, one of the informal settlements in Metro Manila’s Tondo district. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. Men search for recyclable plastic among the rubbish dumped by people living along Metro Manila’s sprawling waterfront. The Philippines is among the world’s largest contributors to plastics found in the ocean. The plastic will be taken to Happyland and sold to recycling shops. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. Powerful storms regularly wash rubbish, much of it plastic, into Manila’s rivers and out to sea. The Pasig River, which flows into Manila Bay, is considered to be one of the world’s most polluted by plastic waste. A ban on single-use plastics is helping reduce the amount of waste, along with increased recycling efforts. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. In an attempt to stop debris from washing ashore, plastic bottles are strung together to create a barrage along part of Baseco beach. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. A bicycle loaded with plastic bound for Happyland. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. People in Happyland sort through rubbish to see what can be recycled. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. An aerial view of Happyland’s alleyways. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. Amador Ang helps his aunt run the G&B scrap dealership, which transports plastic from Happyland to Plastic City. Ang lives in Tondo, but his wife works in Hong Kong and his five children live with their grandparents. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. G&B workers tie down recyclable plastics to take to Plastic City, where dealers from across Metro Manila bring and sell sorted recyclables. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. A man carries a bag full of plastic to be sorted at G&B scrap dealers. Employees earn 400 Philippine pesos (£6) a day, plus lunch and snacks. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. In Plastic City, bottles are weighed and sold to recycling companies such as Infinity Eight Trading and Marketing Corporation. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022. The company recycles the plastic into pellets, which is then sold as a raw material to remake bottles and food cartons. Image by James Whitlow Delano. Philippines, 2022.
October 24, 2022
