Of the roughly 61,000 metric tons of solid waste generated daily in the Philippines, about 24 percent is plastic, mostly from consumer packaging, cutlery, and shopping bags, according to data from the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank.
Yet less than 10 percent of plastic waste is recycled, with the majority dumped, burned, or improperly managed — posing risks to wildlife and ecosystems.
Recycling machines
Amid these challenges, SM Supermalls, the mall operations arm of SM Prime Holdings Inc., has introduced a recycling initiative aimed at improving the collection of plastic bottles.
The company deployed its first SM Green recycling machine for PET bottles at SM Mall of Asia on March 16, 2026.
George Cheung, assistant vice president for waste management and sustainability at SM Supermalls, said during the launch that the machines serve as collection points for used PET bottles.
Once collected, the bottles are picked up by haulers and delivered to recycling partners such as Coca-Cola’s PETValue Philippines and Nature’s Spring, whose bottles are designed to be fully recyclable.
Recycling process
Cheung noted that PET bottles are not inherently single-use materials. The key challenge, he said, lies in ensuring they are properly collected and returned to the recycling system.
“PET bottles are recyclable,” Cheung said, adding that initiatives that incentivize collection help strengthen the recycling supply chain.
Collected bottles can take two recycling routes. In the bottle-to-bottle process, PET materials are recycled into new beverage containers — a cycle that typically takes about 30 days.
They may also be upcycled into durable items such as plastic stools, chairs, and benches by manufacturers like Sentinel.
Closed-loop goal
SM Supermalls president Steven Tan said the recycling machines are part of the company’s effort to develop a closed-loop system within its malls.
Under the initiative, PET bottles — many of which come from beverages consumed in mall food courts — will be collected and processed into recycled plastic food trays to be used in SM food courts.
“I actually saw this machine abroad a long time ago and told my team we have to do this in our malls,” Tan said.
Expansion plans
The trays made from recycled materials will also carry messages informing users that they are produced from recycled plastics, an effort aimed at raising environmental awareness among mallgoers.
Following the initial rollout, 30 additional recycling machines are expected to be deployed across other SM Supermalls.
“The ultimate goal is to eventually have these machines available in all SM Supermalls,” Tan said.
Other pilot locations of SM Green recycling machines will be in S Maison, SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, The Podium, SM Aura, SM Southmall, SM City San Lazaro, SM Seaside City Cebu and SM Lanang.
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