Trade your plastic bottles for WiFi? It’s happening in Quezon Province

Danniell Domingo

In Quezon Province, residents can trade plastic bottles for WiFi access through an innovative vendo machine, a project aimed at reducing plastic waste while promoting sustainability.

With only 9 percent of plastic waste being recycled in the Philippines, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) of Baranggay Poblacion, Tagkawayan, Quezon Province is taking action against plastic pollution in their community.

Residents of Baranggay Poblacion can simply deposit their plastic bottles at the Eco-nnect WiFi Vendo Machine, located at their barangay court.

SK Chairperson Angela Salumbides said the project was inspired by the pisonet vending machines, where a single peso gives one access to the internet for a limited time.

“Ang Eco-nnect WiFi po ay proyektong pinagsama na teknolohiya at environmental care. Inspired po siya sa piso WiFi vendo machine,” Salumbides added.

Meanwhile, Frederick Contreras, the developer of Eco-nnect WiFi, said he specialised the vending machine to only accept plastic bottles, instead of coins. 

Contreras has been making vendo machines since then. “Gumagawa na po talaga ako ng WiFi vendo machine. Mayroon na rin akong mga design ng mga garbage acceptor, bottle acceptor,” he added.

How the vendo machine works

To access the internet, residents must first connect their devices to the WiFi SSID. They will then be redirected to a portal instructing them to insert a bottle.

Through the vendo’s sensor, the portal tracks the plastic bottles deposited in real time. Once users click “done paying,” they can start using the WiFi.

For 10 minutes of WiFi access, residents must drop off one bottle, while an hour of internet connection requires five bottles, and three hours requires 10 bottles.

Contreras, in his Facebook post, said he has patched Eco-nnect WiFi to reject foreign materials, such as the classic rope trick that can cheat the system.

Fixing the persistent plastic pollution

Let it be known, the Philippines has a long way to go in solving plastic pollution, and this crisis is being amplified by substantial flood control projects.

Flood control systems like drains and canals collect rainwater to prevent flooding, but they can also carry plastic waste from streets and landfills into rivers and oceans.

The Philippines might not have had the largest share of global plastic discarded in the ocean in 2019 if the government had addressed plastic pollution with proper intervention.

Some neighboring Asian countries have taken major steps to reduce plastic waste. In Taiwan, the Environmental Protection Administration banned all free plastic straws and is slowly phasing out single-use plastics by 2030.

China also banned imported waste, including various plastics, in 2018, contributing only a fraction of the total global oceanic waste in 2019.

In the Philippines, local waste collection is primarily the responsibility of cities and local governments, rather than the national government.

Two national laws address plastic waste in the Philippines: a solid waste management law mainly implemented by local governments, and a law holding large companies responsible for reducing and recovering plastic packaging.

While 85% of local governments have waste management plans under the 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, implementation remains limited and difficult to monitor.

Still, progress, however small, is progress. Efforts like those of the SK of Barangay Poblacion show that a sustainable community is possible, as Salumbides plans to deploy Eco-nnect WiFi in other areas of their barangay.