From waste to homes: Pasig’s bold housing plan

Can plastic waste be turned into comfortable homes? In Pasig City, the local government is preparing to replicate a prototype project that uses durable boards made from recycled plastic waste to build temporary housing for informal settler families (ISFs). The housing prototype was formally received by the city government from the Nordic Council of Ministers (NCM) for the provision of temporary housing for ISFs in the city, alongside a site visit held at Pasig Bliss Village III in Maybunga on Monday, April 20. The prototype was developed with the assistance of Evergreen Labs (EGL) Philippines, as part of the ongoing collaboration between the city government and the NCM in promoting a circular economy. It is made of durable plastic boards derived from recycled plastic waste, which underwent a rapid conversion process using EGL’s ReForm Plastic Technology. The local government said that with this material, each unit is estimated to be assembled in just about two weeks. With a total floor area of 18 square meters, the modular housing unit features a dining area, a kitchen, and an elevated space that serves as a living area during the day and a sleeping area at night, as well as a toilet, designed similarly to a standard home. “Inaasahang magsasagawa ang lokal na pamahalaan ng replication project upang makapaghandog ng pansamantalang tirahan para sa ISFs na boluntaryong lilisanin ang kanilang tahanan para bigyang-daan ang konstruksyon ng local housing projects at iba pang proyektong pang-imprastraktura (The local government is expected to conduct a replication project to provide temporary housing for ISFs who will voluntarily leave their homes to give way to the construction of local housing projects and other infrastructure projects),” it said. Mayor Vico Sotto emphasized that the prototype is one of the effective and sustainable solutions for public housing, given limited land and the city’s continuously growing population. “This modular model may prove to be key as we upgrade communities, by serving as good temporary housing units while the communities’ original areas undergo infrastructure work,” the mayor said. Sotto was joined in the site visit by Councilor Kiko Rustia, chairperson of the 12th Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Environmental Protection, Solid Waste Management, and Human Ecology, together with officials and staff of the Pasig Urban Settlements Office (PUSO). Representatives from the Embassy of Sweden, H.E. Ambassador Anna Ferry; the Royal Danish Embassy, H.E. Ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin; and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, H.E. Ambassador Christian Halaas Lyster were also present.