Blog 1: 7/21/24 – Introducing our Team and Goals
Hello, we are PlasTech Ventures, a team focused on eliminating the amount of sachet plastic waste in the Philippines by upgrading existing material recovery facilities in Metro Manila. The main purpose of this work is to allow for the creation of a circular plastic economy in a country that has the highest plastic waste production per capita, increasing environmental cleanliness while also providing valuable jobs and income to struggling communities throughout the country. PlasTech is currently in the implementation phase of our future roadmap, looking to create our first MRF in the Metro Manila region, most likely at our partner campus University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) through their environmental agency DEMO. This MRF would serve as a pilot facility, allowing us to gather valuable data that would provide a stepping stone towards positively impacting as much of the Philippines as possible.
Throughout the Mountaintop Summer Experience at Lehigh University, the three fellows of the venture (Avery Nudell-Cook, Fernanda Sena, and Jackson Kramp) worked hard on a variety of tasks to better prepare the project for fieldwork and to gather more information about how the venture will fit into the Filipino plastic ecosystem. Avery worked hard on ensuring that the business will be viable, taking into consideration the cost of plastic, the price we can sell the plastic at, the cost of the machinery that we need for the facility, as well as several other key components such as labor, electricity, and construction materials. Fernanda did intensive research on the chemical properties of sachet plastic in order to show that sachet can have a high-economic value. PlasTech primarily focuses on sachet plastic because it makes up a majority of the plastic waste in the Philippines, but neither MRFs nor junkshops, which are informal recyclers, collect sachet plastic. Fernanda’s research also gleaned valuable information about the compositions of filipino`s sachet, through the FTIR, DSC, and TGA tests – showing which kind of plastic they are made of and the percentage of aluminum in them. These tests also provide insights in which additives we can pick to increase the strength and less the viscosity of future products made of sachet. Finally, Jackson worked on a research paper on the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework which the Philippines recently adopted as a way to reduce the amount of plastic waste. EPR forces the companies who produce plastic products to be the ones paying for its recycling and reuse. The Philippines adopting an EPR approach to plastic is a great step forward for the country and one that PlasTech will have to navigate through during fieldwork.
PlasTech arrived in the Philippines late Saturday night after 2 full days of traveling. On Sunday, we went to a late brunch, where Jackson ate one too many peppers, before returning to work on our fieldwork plans for our time in the Philippines. We then reached out to a variety of different partners and stakeholders in Manila that we plan to meet with during fieldwork including Sir Jonathan Co, Dr. Rey Capangpangan, and Dr. Jordan Madrid.
PlasTech’s plans for fieldwork revolve around several main items: obtaining more specifics for our pilot facility, contextualizing Fernanda’s chemical research, and creating more partnerships. Specifically for the research, we plan to have meetings with UPD’s Material Science Professors, such as Kathrina Lois Taaca and Tiffany Louise B. Lao. We aim to share the results of the tests conducted during the Mountaintop to discuss the results and possible additives. Moreover, we plan to manufacture new samples to conduct the Tensile Strength (ASTM D638) and Plastic Bending (ASTM D790) when we go back to Lehigh University. Our research proved the sachets are made of Low-density polyethylene, so one of the goals of fieldwork is to get new samples with different mixes of high density polyethylene (HDPE) Regrind and Virgin and to look into possible additives as Glass Fiber, Bio Fiber, Calcium Carbonate, and Corn Husk.
In terms of our facility, we plan to meet with UPD and DEMO to find out more about the space and resources they have available for a potential facility. We will also spend time pricing different shredders and dryers for our facility. We will also tour MRFs around the area, as a way to find out more information about the plastic ecosystem and where our facility can fit into the plastic stream. We will be trying to find out more information on how plastic collection currently works in the Philippines and how best to set up the collection for our facility. The collection is the most important part of our system because the model for our facility necessitates a steady supply of plastic. Specifically, we intend to meet with the HEED students to get insights to develop the most effective collection system.
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Blog Days 2 & 3: July 22nd and 23rd
We began our second full day of fieldwork by arriving at our temporary workspace at the University of the Philippines-Diliman (UPD) which the University is graciously allowing us to use during fieldwork. We then set out for our first main task of the day which was the visit the DEMO facility where we will eventually construct our pilot MRF on the UPD campus.
After walking to the DEMO facility, we were able to find out who was the new director of DEMO, so we contacted them as they are in charge of the MRF and the rest of the sustainability initiatives on campus. Our plan is to work with DEMO as well as faculty and student researchers to construct a MRF and develop the most efficient plan possible for cleaning up sachet plastic across the campus and the surrounding community. The previous year’s team left behind a strong foundation for this facility, and now that Lehigh has a MOU with UPD, we feel very confident that we can secure an agreement with DEMO for our pilot MRF.
After visiting DEMO, we took a quick lunch before heading to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) to learn more about their entrepreneurial incubator programs in the Philippines as well as to do some networking with other aspiring entrepreneurs in the Philippines. The different entrepreneurs presented their ventures to us, and they were all very interesting. PlasTech was especially interested in Antipara, which is a company that creates 3-D mapping of underwater coral reefs in the Philippines to help companies and the government make informed decisions about the oceanic ecosystem. AIM then treated us to a delicious meal, and we finished off our day with a meal at Mang Inasal, a common Filipino restaurant.
On the 23rd, we began our day by going to UPD and having a meeting with Maria Lourdes Dario, who works as the head consultant of the Natures Renewable Energy Dev’t Corporation and has large amounts of experience in renewable energy and sustainability. We presented our project and goals for the fieldwork and discussed waste management in the Philippines. At the end of the meeting, Maam Maria shared the EnviroTech contact with us – a recycling company established in Davao City in 2010 to help address the perennial plastic problem – then, we could set up a meeting with them as well as another potential partnership with Phil Ecology Corp which oversees a Marine landfill who may be interested in our MRF upgrades.
We also reached out to partners and scheduled meetings, such as with Material Engineering Professors at UPD, Ma’am Tiffany Louise Lao, and the HEED students. Additionally, we contacted several industrial machinery companies that sell shredders in the Philippines via email.
After lunch, we worked on the AIM-DBI Start-up Exchange Presentation and made major edits to the Plastic Sachet Literature Review Paper required by the IEEE. Furthermore, we visited the Quezon City Hall MRF; however, it closed early due to the rain.
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Blog 3 Days 4 & 5: 7/25/24 – Storms and Zooms
On Wednesday, there was a devastating typhoon in Manila, so we had to reschedule our meetings. Initially, we planned on meeting Laarni Salanga, who is our partner from Urban Poor Associates. Urban Poor associates upgraded an MRF in Baseco in the last year with the help of Sir Jonathan Co, who is one of our main partners. We were very much looking forward to meeting with Laarni because she has real world experience working with these MRFs and would have valuable insights and experiences with working with communities to improve MRFs. However, the typhoon flooded Baseco to such a degree that we could not meet with Laarni or anyone else in the Quezon City Area. So, we worked on what we could without being able to meet our partners. We first practiced our pitch presentation for the Asian Institute of Management with Dr. Mehta and our advisor Dr. Obeysekare, where we gained valuable insights about our presentation. Specifically, we discussed how we can make our presentation more relatable and potentially humorous, to our Filipino audience.
We also worked on our research paper titled, “Single-Use Plastics: The Life and Afterlife of Sachets in the Philippines.” This paper was accepted to the IEEE-GHTC at Villanova University in the Fall with a few revisions needed. Consequently, we spent much of our weather-affected day working hard on updating the paper so it would be ready for re-submission for the GHTC conference.
On Thursday, the typhoon subsided to the point that we could move around Quezon City (the place we are staying while we are in the Philippines). Unfortunately, UPD was closed due to some cleanups that were happening because of the devastating typhoon. Thus, we conducted our work day at Seattle’s Best Coffee and the hotels we are staying in. Firstly, we traveled to Seattle’s Best Coffee, where we had a Zoom meeting with UPD professors to discuss the chemical tests (FTIR, DSC, and TGA) that Fernanda conducted during the Mountaintop Summer Experience. Ma’am Tiff at UPD suggested that our test results were correct and that we could bring our sachet samples to UPD’s lab, where they would add glass fiber to make our plastic samples potentially even stronger. Because our research showed that glass fiber was the best additive to make the recycled sachet plastic stronger without having to pay massive amounts of money for other types of plastic.
After we met with Ma’am Tiff at Seattle’s Best Coffee via Zoom. We set out to tour multiple Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). First, we visited the MRF for Quezon City. QC’s MRF is substantially larger than most MRFs, with much more plastic being handled each day. However, we were not able to have a discussion about the inner workings of the MRF because the supervisor for the MRF was in a meeting and was not available while we were there at the MRF. We plan on going back next week for the full tour of the MRF, as this tour is very important for our venture. This is because the QC MRF is a centralized location where large amounts of waste are processed daily. As a result, if we could upgrade this MRF to handle sachet plastic, we could potentially make an even larger impact in the Philippines than previously anticipated.
After lunch, we talked to Envirotech’s CEO: Winchester Lemen. We met via Zoom due to the fact that Sir Chester works in Davao City in Mindanao Island. During the meeting, we learned about envirotech’s process of cleaning, shredding, drying, and compression molding various kinds of plastic. Envirotech has the capabilities to make all kinds of products, including school desks, eco boards, boats, and many other things. Overall, we were glad to observe that this meeting validated the fact that upcycling waste plastic, even sachets, is an effective way to create valuable and profitable products.
Our last zoom meeting of the day was our conversation with Dr. Jordan Madrid from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI). Dr. Madrid discussed his latest research venture where he uses radiation in a laboratory setting on plastic to improve its strength. This enables the strengthened plastic to be strong enough to be used as beams for small houses. Moreover, this process is able to improve the strength of sachets by approximately 50%. We made a note with Dr. Madrid to meet up with his assistant next week and tour his lab facility. This is exciting, as it will provide us a better understanding of the process, and how we could potentially implement the project at our level and scale.
Nearing the end of the day, we met with Sir Abel, who is the manager of the main testing lab for our partner Sentinel Upcycling. During the in person visit, we talked to Sir Abel about the tests he runs at Sentinel as well as the tests we ran over the summer. He confirmed that he could make us new dog-bone samples so that we could conduct new tensile strength tests. There is also room for him to provide us with the samples needed to conduct flexion and impact tests as well once we get back to Lehigh. These tests will help us move our venture forward, as they give us valuable insights into the chemical and mechanical qualities of sachet plastic. Finally, we acquired sachet plastic that will be used to conduct more chemical and mechanical tests, but this time at UPD with glass fiber additives.
To complete the day, we went to Sir Jonathan Co’s house, where we had a delightful meal and talked to Butte Metz, a founding constituent of Precious Plastics Philippines. We are happy to say that we are much more confident in our chances of landing a deal to be supplied with the necessary machines for our future facility. Overall, despite the large amounts of weather and slower progress earlier in the week with meetings, we have been able to accomplish a lot so far and our momentum is only picking up.
Blog 4 Days 5 & 6: 7/26-27
On Thursday, after our event at Sir Jonathan’s house, Avery and Jackson woke up early for a Zoom call with Dr. Richard Hizon. Sir Richard is an electrical engineering professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and has connections with the organization IEEE, where we are currently trying to secure funding via a grant. Sir Richard offered wonderful insights about our project, particularly on how we could integrate our project into the existing UP curriculum. More specifically, we discussed ways that his graduate students may be able to conduct a joint research project with us, where they run our MRF design on UPD’s campus, integrating IOT facility analysis and computer mapping as their final year project. Integrating Filipino students into our project design has always been a top priority, a reason why Sir Richard’s advice and support was so helpful. We tabled the conversation until he returns from a trip to England, but this meeting strengthened the research bond between our project and UPD.
After the Zoom call with Sir Richard, Fernanda joined Avery and Jackson for a meeting with Dr. Deo Onda, an associate Dean for Research, Innovation, Development and Enterprise for the College of Science at UPD. In addition, he is a professor in the Marine Science Institute (MSI) at UPD who conducts research advocacy, working with plastics and microplastics in the marine environment around the Philippines. We discussed our project with Dr. Onda, and more specifically how the MSI might be able or willing to help move our venture forward. We also learned more about the work that Dr. Onda and the MSI does, particularly research disproving scientific studies that blame the Philippines for plastic pollution, the types of plastic in the oceanic environments around the Philippines, and various data-drive policy recommendation projects across the Philippines. Moreover, he introduced us to his team’s application which identifies various types of plastic in the ocean using machine learning-powered computer vision. We also discussed what the next steps for our respective projects should be based on current Filipino plastic policy including the Extended Producer Responsibility Act, something Jackson conducted research on during fieldwork.
We then, unfortunately, had to quickly leave our meeting with Dr. Onda to head back to the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), where it was our turn to present our ventures to the founders and the rest of AIM. The PlasTech team had been working on the presentation for AIM since we first visited there on Monday. After some quick opening remarks by the head of AIM, Sir Prim, and Sean Vassilaros, Lehigh’s main point of contact with AIM, PlasTech was the first team to present our venture and receive advice from the founders. The presentation went well, and, more importantly, we learned valuable lessons about how to better present our venture and gained more points of contact to advance our venture. These points of contact included Sir Noelle who knows the Mayor of Marikina City. Marikina City houses one of the most impressive MRFs in the Metro Manila area and meeting the mayor will help us better understand exactly what we want to include in our own MRF once we develop our system. We finished off the day at the delicious Indo Food House where we dined on authentic Indonesian food.
On Saturday, Jackson and Fernanda joined in a meeting with Dr. Rey from Mindanao State University, which is the state university for Mindanao Island, a more Southern island in the Philippines. We focused on discussing how PlasTech’s System can release microplastic to the environment and current methods we can use to avoid it. We focused primarily on the washing step, where we discussed filtering and reuse water to wash the sachets. Even though it is not effective with nanoplastic. Also, we discussed the importance of getting a shredder that can also avoid the release of the shredded plastic. Dr. Rey also shared with us the technology he is developing to capture microplastics from the environment. He uses the electrostatic interaction between the polymers, since they have charge, to be able to segregate them from the water and porosity. Moreover, he mentioned that to improve our Venture’s impact we should contact the EMB (Environment Management), and afterwards a LGU, to discuss MRF’s implementation.
After the meeting with Dr. Rey, all three of us traveled to the Baseco Compound to meet with a partner we developed over Mountaintop this Summer: Laarni Salanga. Ma’am Laarni works for the Urban Poor Associates in the Philippines, involving various kinds of Social ventures in Baseco. She was also introduced to the head of Kabalikat works directly in the Baseco community to create positive change, which includes running the MRF as well as the various other ventures including a rain grain venture, a community-ran grocery store, and a water filtration venture. Baseco’s MRF is the only MRF that collects every type of plastic in Baseco. This MRF lacked a shredder, washer, and dryer, but it was still able to make an impact through the help of the elderly mothers who work at MRF cleaning, shredding, and sorting the plastic. The MRF then sells the plastic to our partner Sentinel Upcycling who we plan to sell our processed plastic to and were the ones who initially introduced us to Ma’am Laarni. Our visit to Baseco taught us valuable information about setting up an MRF, the challenges we may face, and how we can ingrain the community in our project, even despite the economic and spatial issues facing the community.
Kabalikat also uses various methods to collect plastic waste. For instance, they pay street cleaners to dispose of waste at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) and are starting to gather plastic from nearby Sari-sari stores. They also plan to expand their collection strategies, including the use of dual bins—one for organic waste and one for inorganic waste—to facilitate community participation. To incentivize plastic collection, they offer 1 kilogram of rice for each bag of reused plastic. Looking ahead, they aim to include waste from hotels in their collection system, though transportation costs present a significant challenge.
Currently, plastic waste is not sorted upon arrival at the MRF; it requires sorting after collection. In an effort to create job opportunities, they employ single mothers and individuals from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds to sort the plastic, compensating them based on the volume sorted. Employees also receive free meals, including breakfast and lunch. The plastic is cleaned using rainwater and, if necessary, soap. It is then stored in large open containers sorted by type. While sachets are grouped together regardless of whether they are LDPE or HDPE, mini fans are attached to some containers to aid in the drying process, which is naturally facilitated by the wind. After the visit, we went to have dinner at Pino, a Filipino restaurant, where we had the chance to try the country’s cuisine.
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Blog 5 Days 7 & 8: 7/28-29
On Sunday, we were able to travel around Manila to see some of the main attractions that the city has to offer. First, we went to the Manila Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Manila. This church is one of the most critical religious structures in the world as it has existed since 1579 and symbolizes the presence of both Catholicism and colonialism in the Philippines. Before the Spanish colonized the Philippines and forced Catholicism on the Filipino people, the archipelago mostly practiced the Islamic faith, and the Manila Cathedral represents the rapid and violent spread of Catholicism across the islands. The Cathedral itself, beyond the colonial atrocities that it represents, is absolutely stunning. The facade includes both Renaissance and Romanesque features. The facade is split into 3 separate sections (from bottom to top) featuring a modified ionic column in the middle section, with most of the extra luster of ionic columns being largely replaced by the simplicity of Romanesque architecture. The simplicity of Romanesque architecture also shines through with the major usage of concrete in both the inside and outside of the Cathedral. The bottom part of the facade features more renaissance elements with more classical Corinthian columns being used, complimenting the extra detailing in the arches in the bottom section of the facade. We were also able to see the Introductory Rites for Service at the Manila Cathedral, as well as some of the early moments of Mass, which was extraordinary.
Next, we went to another church, San Agustin Church. San Agustin is one of the four baroque churches in Manila that are protected by UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. The baroque elements definitely shine through, especially on the inside. There are clear baroque elements in terms of intricately carved, colorful pieces of metal that make up the inside of the church. Unfortunately, we were not able to go inside the Church as they were celebrating the Liturgy, and we were also not able to visit the Church’s museum due to time constraints.
After the two churches, we visited Casa Manila which is a living museum modeled after an affluent Filipino family’s home in 16th century Manila. The original house burned down in the Battle of Manila during World War II, so this living museum was built as a way to showcase how the area of Intramuros (“within walls”) looked like during Spanish and American colonial times. The house itself showcased a variety of Spanish and American elements, although mostly Spanish. The house featured a room for a maiden and a suitor as well as an office room fit with desks for a secretary, accountant, and businessman. The upper floor of the house also showcased a beautiful dining and sitting room that heavily featured the Baroque elements that were common in 16th century Europe, with there being a large amount of intricately carved metal, often detailing other parts of the house. We were even able to see what a 16th century kitchen looked like in the Philippines, complete with a lizard-shaped kitchen tool.
We finished our day learning about historical Manila with a visit to Fort Santiago. Fort Santiago is one of the original Spanish Forts constructed in Manila when the Spanish first landed and colonized the Philippines. Now, it serves as a museum dedicated to the life of Fort Santiago and Intramuros as a whole. We were able to see the original American barracks during the time in which America occupied the Philippines, which is also where Filipino VIPs were held during the Japanese occupation. We also learned about the plight of Dr. Josè Rizal, who is one of the national heroes of the Philippines. He wrote Mi último adiós (“My Last Farewell”) as well as several pieces of literature describing the atrocities committed by the Spanish during the colonization of the Philippines. For his reformist views, the Spanish forced fellow Filipinos to execute him, just a few hours after he was allowed to marry his wife. His death serves as a reminder of the hardships fought by the Filipino people for freedom. We finished off our day by visiting the SM mall and having dinner.
On Monday, Fernanda and Jackson first visited the PNRI laboratories where we reconnected with Sir Gilbert, who works with Dr. Jordan Madrid on a project to make recycled plastic stronger through irradiation and to sterilize it. We were able to see both the gamma and electron beam irradiation facilities. Fernanda and Jackson were even able to go inside the electron beam facility and get a personal look at the machinery. The PNRI uses the facility in research and commercial capacities. Their main commercial client is a fertilizer company that irradiates their fertilizer to make it more effective on rice plants as the plant can directly absorb the fertilizer through the stoma instead of the soil, making it stronger. However, the facility irradiates a variety of materials, including the plastic. While Dr. Jordan was not able to meet us due to the first ever Nuclear Science Olympiad beginning on Monday, we got a personal tour with the plant supervisors and a ranking member of the communications team for PNRI. We also learned more about the PNRI itself which has been one of the flagship nuclear institutes of Asia since the 1950s.
While Avery continued to update our pitch-deck and contact different machinery owners, Fernanda and Jackson tried once again to visit the Quezon City MRF. The head of the facility answered some of our questions, but we had to get permission at the “Civic Center Building D” to know more about the facility. There, we were informed that we needed a formal letter asking for an appointment. So, the team and Eric turned our attention to crafting this letter where we asked for assistance. We have already been endorsed for the meeting, so we will move forward on this line of inquiry later in fieldwork.
After Fernanda and Jackson returned from the Quezon City Hall, we turned our attention to our research paper approved by the IEEE under major changes. We spent our afternoon making changes on the paper based on the IEEE’s comments. At night, the team went to have dinner at a Burger Place at Arenenta City in Cubao.
Blog Days 9 & 10
On Tuesday, Avery, Fernanda, Jackson, and Eric began their day with a visit to DEMO UP, where they met with the new director, Ma’am Rosie. After enjoying a delicious breakfast provided by DEMO, they presented the programs they have been running at the university. They also toured the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), which collects approximately 500 kg of waste per week using push carts. The organic waste collected is used for composting. Previously, sachet plastics were sold to junk shops, but as these shops no longer accept or purchase them, the sachet plastics now end up in landfills at the Quezon City Hall Department. Other plastics, such as PET, are still accepted and sold to junk shops. Additionally, the facility has two plastic shredders, one glass shredder, and one biodigester. However, none of these are currently in use due to being broken, lacking sufficient plastic, or having no power supply.
In the same afternoon, we met with Shem, a HEED student. We discussed the work he had done over the past semester, including his visit to Tandang Sora Barangay in Quezon City. This Barangay has a community garden that allows residents to exchange plastic waste for food grown in the garden. Shem noted that the Barangay does not incentivize collection providing people money, but goods and food instead. Additionally, he mentioned that the Barangay’s leader has been involved in sustainability and climate change workshops to raise awareness about environmental conservation.
On Wednesday, Jackson and Eric went to the Baseco MRF again, since our goal is to upgrade this MRF. Eric and Jackson were able to reconnect with Ma’am Laarni and Sir Georgie who work for Urban Poor Associates and Kabalakat respectively. They were able to educate Eric on how the MRF currently functions, their progress, their challenges, and their hopes and dreams for the future. They also had already started working on a new roof for the cutting, washing, and drying stations which was not there when Jackson, Avery, and Fernanda met in Baseco earlier on the trip. Eric and Jackson also found out more about the prices that Baseco buys and sells their plastic at. The prices vary based on type and quality of plastic, in terms of whether it is segregated or not. Sir Georgie also showed us a shop where Kabalakat sells bags and other products made out of recycled plastic. The shop represents one of the myriad of ways in which sachet plastic can be reused, even after its initial life span. The second meeting with Baseco gave PlasTech an even clearer picture of how we can upgrade the Baseco MRF and how we can work with Urban Poor Associates and Kabalakat to make a sustainable impact in Baseco.
Meanwhile, Fernanda finished the Life and Afterlife of Sachet’s paper that was submitted to the IEEE GHTC, and Avery worked on the presentation during the morning. Both Avery and Fernanda contacted machining companies, inquiring about shredders. The Life and Afterlife of Sachet research paper is nearing its completion, complete with the edits suggested to us by the reviewers at IEEE. Jackson also met with Evan Woodward who is a past member of the PlasTech team, but worked on the Life and Afterlife of Sachet paper, as a way to confirm some details and improve the strength of the edits. PlasTech finished off the day by attending a meeting with faculty from the TESSI institute at UPD. After an amazing dinner, we participated in some great networking, meeting various professors at UPD and talking about PlasTech.