Solutions from the ground up: reflections from a global convening of zero waste activists

Published by Zero Waste Europe on 20 Feb 2026
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Walking through Barangay Potrero in Metro Manila*, you see and experience the narrow but clean streets, small houses, “sari-sari” stores (convenience stores typical of the Philippines). Nearby, a waste workers cooperative takes a leading role in the system – they run a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), organise the local waste separate collection into four fractions (kitchen and garden waste, recyclables, and residuals), compost the organic waste collected, and even operate a zero waste store selling refill products for everyday goods. Watching it all, I thought: this is zero waste in action. Not as a policy, not as a label, but as a story of people, community, and justice.

In February 2026, I had the opportunity to spend 10 days in the Philippines for a global convening of the Global and Local Organizing on Waste (GLOW) Network, a group of zero waste NGOs supported by the UMI Fund. The event was organised by the UMI Fund, together with GAIA Asia Pacific and the Mother Earth Foundation (MEF). More than 40 zero waste practitioners from all over the world – from civil society organisations and waste worker cooperatives – came together to discuss GLOW’s strategy for the next three years and how to tell the story of its impact.

Glow network participants – Siquijor island

The Philippines: an example of community-led zero waste

I had heard many times that the Philippines is a frontrunner of bottom-up, community-led approaches for zero waste solutions, but seeing it firsthand, I realised how different it can be from Europe. 

But first, let’s take a step back to help you better understand the challenging context in which waste prevention and management efforts are taking shape in the country. Recently, the Filipino government required all 42,000 Barangays (districts) across the country to set up MRFs and door-to-door collection of segregated waste. Compliance is far from universal and so now only about 39% have fully functioning facilities. But more importantly, much of the work currently falls on the 100,000 informal waste workers in the country – people who collect, sort, and recycle without formal employment protections, often earning less than a dollar a day. This means their recognition, protection, and inclusion isn’t just a nice-to-have, but a central part of any  zero waste programme’s success.

The story of Potrero, a barangay in the flood-prone and densely populated city of Malabon in Metro Manila, shows us exactly why. In 2015, the city government supported the adoption of its zero waste programme, whose design and implementation were supported by the Mother Earth Foundation team together with local waste workers. Implementing source separation among residents of informal settlements, who make up the majority of the barangay’s population, was an enormous challenge. Yet, ten years later, 80% of residents participate in the separate collection model, and barangay Potrero has recently been recognised as the best waste management system in Metro Manila. How was such a change possible? Simple answer: through waste worker inclusion.

Informal waste workers were trained, provided with materials and space to store collected waste, and became central advocates of the new system. They educated the community on proper waste separation, monitoring, and enforcement. They now run the local MRF, compost biodegradable waste, store and sell recyclables, and even operate a zero waste store that fits the local sari-sari economy, providing refill options for condiments, household products, and food. This is environmental justice in practice: zero waste solutions that are economically accessible, inclusive of all, and empower those at the front line of the take-make-waste system.

Examples of community-led zero waste practices in the Philippines.

For me, this was a wake-up call. In Europe, waste prevention and management projects often proceed without adequate meaningful community inclusion. Systems tend to be highly centralised in the hands of local authorities and companies and often rely on technical solutions, which can make it all feel top-down. Seeing the example of Potrero and other Philippine communities made me ask myself: ‘what should be the common denominator for the zero waste solutions that, as a network, we push for globally?’ . The answer seems simple: community inclusion. 

This is – and must be – the added value of zero waste systems: the way they give voice and power to frontline communities (for example, those living near incinerators), create safer and more rewarding jobs, and actively engage people in designing and implementing local solutions (whether it’s community composting projects or cooperative zero waste stores). When done right, everyone is truly involved, feels part of the process, and benefits from it.

The embodiment of this principle was everywhere in the Philippines, from Potrero to the zero waste city of San Fernando and the zero waste island of Siquijor. Waste workers aren’t just helping the system function: they’re advocates, educators, and leaders. MEF has championed this for decades, organising the ‘Waste Workers Appreciation Day’ (WWAD) every last Sunday of January to honour their role and push for fair pay, recognition, and protection. The recently formed Philippine National Waste Workers Alliance, a coalition of 12 organisations representing over 1,000 members, is now lobbying for a ‘Magna Carta for Waste Workers’ and for official recognition of this day.

I was lucky to attend the latest WWAD celebration. Hundreds of people – waste workers, residents, and international visitors – came together for games, workshops, and meaningful conversations. The atmosphere was full of pride and joy, reminding me why community-led zero waste matters. These solutions don’t need expensive, high-tech systems to work. They need people, trust, and justice.

2026 Waste Workers Appreciation Day – Quezon city, Metro Manila

Environmental justice and zero waste models in Europe

Talking with my European colleagues who also attended the GLOW Network meeting, one lesson stood out – something we could replicate, or at least adapt, to our European context. As Ismael Casotti from ZERO (Portugal) said: “We should deconstruct the schemes we build in Europe. Start small, at low-cost, community-led – simple. And maybe start talking with the people on the trucks – the formalised waste workers – about what works and what doesn’t, and how they could contribute to our zero waste plans.”

ZERO’s Ismael Casotti at the GLOW Network meeting in the Philippines

Danita Zarichinova from Za Zemiata (Bulgaria) echoed this:

“The appreciation for waste workers really struck me. Why don’t we do this in Bulgaria? We have informal workers too, but no one talks to them.”

The message is clear: community-driven, low-tech, justice-oriented strategies should be the reference for zero waste. We might need to take a step back whenever we engage with local authorities on zero waste implementation and start by asking ourselves: who are we talking to, and who are we currently overlooking in the design of our zero waste plans? How can we ensure dignity, protection, and inclusion of all community voices in the solutions we develop? How can we engage with them more creatively? And, ultimately, how do we know justice has truly been achieved?

Inclusion, dignity and justice in zero waste approaches are what unite members of the GLOW network. GLOW is the network supported by the UMI Fund, bringing together 26 GAIA and ZWE members, as well as other partners from across 18 countries, to strengthen local solutions rooted in environmental justice principles. From youth voices to waste workers, from local MRFs to community-led bulk stores and composting, all these initiatives prove that collaboration, inclusion, and justice can scale impact worldwide.

At Zero Waste Europe, environmental justice is not an add-on: it is at the heart of who we are, and we are continuously working to turn its principles into everyday practice across our network and campaigns. One recent example is our campaign to recognise and protect frontline communities through initiatives such as The True Toxic Toll – which amplified the voices of people living with the impacts of incinerators – and the Better than Burning campaign, asking to stop new incineration facilities in Europe. Our blueprint for Movement Building is another example, designed to sustain and evolve the way we work across Europe, helping groups collaborate more effectively, share knowledge, and drive meaningful change together. But while we’ve made important progress, there is still more to do. We need to be more deliberate and consistent in how we engage local communities in the solutions we design and champion, particularly within our zero waste cities work.

If we fail to meaningfully involve local groups and citizens, local solutions to reduce and better manage waste risk become something that looks good on paper but falls short in practice. The lesson for our current and future work is clear and urgent – if we are to design long-lasting, impactful policies which deliver concrete impact, then these policies must be driven by those most affected, with the local community driving change through protected roles in the implementation of solutions and a meaningful role in the decision-making process. We have a duty to ensure the solutions we encourage cities, waste companies, businesses and civil society to introduce meaningfully involve local communities and are grounded in the realities on the ground. As we move forward in Europe against a stronger, industry-led narrative of competitiveness and deregulation – we should be guided and inspired by the experiences shown in communities in the Global South on what fair, just and inclusive solutions look like for zero waste. 

Written by Manon Jourdan, Waste Prevention Manager at Zero Waste Europe