What if you could turn trash to rice? The Eastern Samar provincial government has distributed over 2,925 sacks of rice to residents who took part in their coastal area cleanup, which began last year.

The rice beneficiaries were those who collected scraps from coastal areas under the province’s Project KLEAN, which stands for Kalikasan Linisan, Estehanon, Aksyon Na.

“Project KLEAN is a year-long project that sets its eyes to clean and protect the coastal areas and preserve natural marine resources,” said the provincial office. ”This initiative also aimed to address environmental concerns while providing tangible benefits to the participants, which is rice in exchange for the collected garbage in the coastal area.”

The environmental project, initiated by Governor Ben Evardone, was launched on 9 May 2023 and was implemented in all Eastern Samar provinces to encourage their residents to collect biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste in exchange for a kilogram of rice.

“This innovative approach not only incentivized environmental cleanup but also provided a valuable resource to the community.”

The exchange rate is that two kilos of biodegradable waste collected is equivalent to one kilo of rice, while one kilo of collected non-biodegradable waste is equivalent to two kilos of rice.

Through this service project, not only a sense of shared responsibility for nature was developed, but also environmental concerns were addressed and collective action was taken.