Quezon City, Philippines —If you look at many Filipino neighborhoods, change often happens in the most familiar places and it usually starts small: a sari-sari store counter with carefully sorted sachets, and a responsible neighbor that drops off recyclables on the way home. When you multiply those by hundreds, you don’t just have a community; you have a movement.
This spirit of everyday bayanihan took the spotlight as Ajinomoto Philippine Corporation (APC) celebrated the second anniversary of SariCycle®, an innovative and flexible plastic waste collection initiative that empowers local micro-entrepreneurs, such as Sari-Sari store owners, to take a leading role in the community in reducing plastic waste and pollution.
In two years, SariCycle® has grown from a promising pilot into a working model of circularity at the grassroots level. The program recovered over 27 metric tons or 27,000 kilograms of single-use plastics (SUPs) in 2025. Overall, that’s equivalent to approximately 54 million sachets, three times more of what was collected in 2024.
Behind the solid achievement are the more than 1000 SariCyclers across 30 barangays, supported by APC’s significant collaboration with Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies Inc. (BEST) and Quezon City’s Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability Department.
At its heart, SariCycle® is a lifestyle program, as much as it is a sustainability initiative. Turning sari-sari stores into accessible eco-hubs encourages responsible waste behavior that is convenient and rewarding. When recycling is simpler and incentivized, more community members are likely to participate, and the continued collective effort is key to moving communities closer to a sustainable circular economy.
During the celebration, APC honored the best SariCycling Barangays and SariCyclers, whose consistent efforts essentially formed the backbone of this transformative program.
The top 5 SariCycling Barangays are: Barangay Pasong Tamo, Barangay Baesa, Barangay Talayan, Barangay Bagong Silangan, and Lunas HOA Litex in Barangay Commonwealth.
Hon. Stephanie Tricia Pilar, Barangay Captain of Pasong Tamo, shared her delight as their community took the first place, “Maraming salamat po sa Ajinomoto at sa QC government sa napakagandang programa na ito. Dahil hindi lang po ito nakakatulong sa kalikasan, kundi pati na rin sa bawat residente at komunidad.”
In addition, the program also recognized Carmen Ladisla as the Top SariCycler with her consistent dedication and outstanding collection efforts. Completing the Top 3 SariCyclers were Patria Uchi and Alicia Obedencia.
“Konting sipag lang at kayang kaya natin mag ipon (ng sachet at basura) para iwas baha at iwas polusyon. Para sa mas ligtas at mas maayos na buhay ng ating pamilya,” Ladisla shared.
As part of the initiative’s success, a new award category was also introduced: the Aji Packaging Champions. This award recognizes the top collectors of Ajinomoto packaging, reinforcing the importance of shared responsibility across the value chain. Alicia Obedencia was recognized as the top Ajinomoto Packaging Champion, followed by Josephine Valdez and Naly Ramos, respectively.
For APC, addressing plastic pollution isn’t a solo effort. The company recognizes it as a system built through partnerships to come up with innovations that are practical, scalable, and rooted in real-life behavior.
This collaborative approach strengthens APC’s broader sustainability strategy and supports its 2030 Roadmap goal of reducing environmental impact by 50%.
“I believe we are on track, based on our numerical records. From our plastic collection, plastic reduction, even innovation in our packaging. In terms of greenhouse gas, our two factories, one in Bulacan and one in Cebu are now operating under 100% renewable energy,” stated Ernie Carlos, Chief Sustainability Officer of APC.
As SariCycle® enters its third year, APC remains committed to expanding its network of SariCyclers, empowering more store owners, engaging more households, and designing smarter and accessible ways for Filipinos to keep on recycling.
“For year three, we are very excited to announce that we will be expanding to several cities. We are hoping to have the same engagement in other communities as well, by applying the same strategies,” said Ayn Latorre, Sustainability Executive of Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies Inc.
Because sometimes, the biggest environmental solutions don’t start in boardrooms or factories. They begin at the corner store, with neighbors, with shared purpose, and with everyone moving sama-sama (all together) toward a cleaner, more circular Philippines.