Chairman Atty. Don Artes of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Tuesday said that the collaboration between MMDA and the Jollibee Group strengthens their shared commitment to environmental management, community empowerment, and sustainable development.

He added that the partnership is aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Philippine Development Plan 2023–2028, which aims to expand waste minimization activities to improve environmental quality.

“This collaboration between the MMDA and Jollibee Group is a testament to what can be achieved when the government and the private sector unite with a common purpose,” he said during the ceremonial signing of the memorandum of agreement held at the MMDA headquarters in Pasig City.

“Through the Plastic Waste Recovery and Rewards Program, we are promoting responsible solid waste management and directly inspiring households and barangays to take active roles in protecting our precious waterways and diverting waste from landfills,” the Chairman emphasized.

Artes also expressed gratitude to the Jollibee Group for its commitment to community support and government-led waste management initiatives as part of its sustainability agenda.

He added, “By providing motivational gift certificates as rewards and mobilizing accredited recycling partners for proper plastic processing, the Jollibee Group provides support for government-led waste management initiatives to expand their existing environmental efforts.”

Jollibee Group Philippines CEO and Head, Jollibee Brand Global Joseph Tanbuntiong, likewise underscored the important role of collective action in caring for both people and the environment, which aligns with the company’s global sustainability agenda, Joy For Tomorrow.

"By partnering with the MMDA and our recycling partner, Greencycle, we're helping ensure that plastic waste collected from our communities is properly processed, recycled, and given new life. It is one way we can contribute to cleaner waterways, safer neighborhoods, and a more sustainable future for Metro Manila,” he said.

“Our partnership is an example of collective action, demonstrating that lasting progress happens when government, business, and communities collaborate to bring their strengths together toward a common purpose and shared goal,” Tanbuntiong added.

Under the Plastic Waste Recovery and Rewards Program, every one kilogram of plastic waste collected will earn the participant 10 points. Each participant will be given a Barangay Reward Card, which records their cumulative points. For every 70 points accumulated, participants may redeem a P100 Jollibee gift certificate.

Residents will bring segregated plastic waste to their Women’s Group, community leaders, or designated barangay collection point. Community leaders will deliver the collected plastic waste to the Materials Recovery Storage (MRS), where barangay representatives will weigh and record the volume.

Every week, collected plastic waste will be transferred to the Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility (ISWMF) for re-weighing and verification, and stored there until the scheduled pickup of the recycling partner identified by the Jollibee Group.

The project will initially cover 20 barangays in Vitas, Tondo, Manila, and will last six months. It will later expand to 36 barangays near Tripa de Gallina in Pasay and Makati City to further boost household participation and plastic waste diversion.

During the feasibility dry run in pilot areas of Vitas, the MMDA and the Jollibee Group generated 1,059 kilograms of plastic waste from 10 February to 31 March 2025.