By Alex Lauricio

Alon and Araw is a Zambales-based grassroots organization that combines coastal cleanup with active community participation—lending services to the families and kids who are part of their plastic segregation program. Children are given access to a library, a football field, surfboards, and a plethora of other resources in exchange for collecting heaps of plastic.

The BOx-SHS- and Hi-Lites-led visit saw members of the Senior High School community visit Cabangan, Zambales last December 8, 2023 and meet up with kids and beneficiaries of Alon and Araw. They played games and took a glimpse of the organization’s recycling process, which helps “upcycle” plastic into various useful products.

Alon and Araw is led by Filipino surfer Donn Lawrence Quintos and Atenean alumni women’s football player Vanessa Gabrielle Del Rosario, who, together with a supportive coastal community, turned a simple dream—wanting to keep the coastline clean—and expanded it to bigger horizons, one which continues to grow by the day!

In August 2023 alone, a staggering 1522.16 kilograms of plastic were collected by 40 participating families in their plastic segregation program. In the previous month, they managed to collect 1252.49 kilograms. Most of the plastic waste that accumulates on their shoreline were a result of typhoons dragging in foreign waste into the country.

Still, there are many benefits of being an ocean defender—a title given to those who clean up oceans and advocate for the environment—one of which being the surfing and football opportunities that Alon and Araw offers for the kids. This has catapulted into teams of kids from Cabangan that get to compete in the national level, such as in the recently concluded Olympia Cup.

The organization regularly partners up with major institutions inside and outside of the country in order to advocate for environmental awareness, as well as to find opportunities to help the children in the families that participate in their program. This includes educational activities, such as Algorithmics, and environmental agencies, such as Sentinel UpCycling Technologies.

Alon and Araw aims to “upcycle” plastic waste, producing various creative and practical products, such as pillows and plastic lumber, while mitigating the effects of plastic pollution on the coastline. A deeper inspection of their compound reveals a plastic shredder capable of shredding different kinds of plastic into a fine, smooth grain with various applications.

Only a handful of families, who have cleaned up the most amount of plastic by kilograms, are eligible to benefit from the services that they offer, including a free-use library as well as educational opportunities with partnered institutions. Alon and Araw has taught families to segregate, and has instilled in the community a culture of cleanliness and environmentalism.

Segregation is based on the seven different plastic types—from type 1 to 7, which differ from their composition as well as the industry that they are used in. Some plastic types, such as type 1 and 2, are more recyclable than their single-use counterparts (often, type O plastic).

The storehouses are filled with donations from various companies, groups, and institutions. You might recall that they were once the beneficiaries of the Mass of the Holy Spirit last August 18, 2023, when an explainer video of Alon and Araw had graced the screens of the 3rd floor of the Formation Learning Center, and introduced the organization to the Atenean community. 

After a day’s worth of plastic-hauling and football, their library offers a cool refuge from everyday labor, offering a place to rest, play, and learn. Bookshelves are stocked with stories, textbooks, and more, and are also supplied by donations from partner institutions or generous individuals. 

On the Topic of Plastics

Two of the most commonly recycled plastic types are type 1 polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and type 2 high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastics, the latter of which can be recycled to plastic lumber, which can be a sturdy building material or as a cast for molds.

Participating families primarily segregate plastic into PET, HDPE, and single-use sachets. Other types are not segregated because Alon and Araw lack sufficient facilities in order to repurpose and upcycle sturdier types of plastic. With their available HDPE shredder, which can shred detergent bottles and other similarly-sized material, the collected HDPE plastics are repurposed into plastic lumber.

Apart from HDPE and PET, they also collect type 5 polypropylene (PP) as well as type 6 polystyrene (PS or Styrofoam), which is among one of the most toxic plastics and pose a significant risk to the environment. They dedicate entire portions of their compound just to store away the plastic.

After ensuring that all plastics are dry, clean, and segregated, the plastics are then mounted on the back of DHL trucks and shipped off to recycling centers owned by Sentinel UpCycling Technologies.

Alon and Araw is a shining example of what dedication, community-wide effort, and a concrete, firm vision can amount to. From its simple beginnings as a longing to clean up the beach, its initiatives and advocacies are now larger than ever—and it’s only getting bigger from here!