Plastic pollution is a persistent problem in small island communities, including in Tubigon, due to challenges in disposing and transporting trash to landfills in the mainland. This problem is even more pronounced during tidal flooding events, when flooding carries trash everywhere — including inside the homes of islanders. With this, the communities organize beach clean-ups regularly to address the problem of plastic pollution, while also developing a new perspective on trash. With very limited resources available (no trees, and it’s illegal to cut mangrove trees and mine corals), islands have started to use trash (neatly organized and densely packed in sacks) as filling materials for raising their floors. Constraints lead to creativity, especially for small islanders!
This project is supported by the British Council’s Connections Through Culture Programme
