Q1. Could you start by giving us a brief overview of your professional background, particularly focusing on your expertise in the industry? 

My background is mainly in waste management and facility operations, where I have focused on improving operational efficiency and finding ways to recover value from waste. Over the years, I learned that processing waste inside the facility is only one part of the problem. What happens after the material leaves the facility is equally important, particularly how we consolidate, transport, and move recovered materials to the right market. This is why I have also focused on reverse logistics and how it can connect waste facilities with actual recovery and end-use markets. 

Q2. How is EPR changing the economics and demand for reverse-logistics services, particularly for plastic waste? 

I see EPR as creating clearer responsibility for brand owners to account for the packaging they put into the market. But EPR alone does not solve the operational side of recovery. Someone still has to collect, consolidate, process, and move those materials to legitimate users or processors. This creates stronger demand for recovery and reverse-logistics services because the materials must be properly accounted for and moved through a legitimate recovery chain. The challenge is making that chain efficient enough so that the cost of collection and movement does not outweigh the value of the recovered material. 

Q3. Which waste-management and resource-recovery technologies have proven to be scalable in the Philippines, and where do you see a gap between market enthusiasm and underlying project economics? 

In the Philippines, the technologies I see as more scalable are those that can work with existing waste streams and have a practical market for the recovered output, such as MRF-based recovery, mechanical processing, and converting recovered plastics into construction-related materials. The technology itself is generally available; the bigger issue is whether the project can operate economically at the local level. This is where I see a gap between market enthusiasm and actual project economics. Transportation, collection, consolidation, and the distance to the final buyer can significantly affect the value of recovered materials. So for me, the question is not simply whether the technology works, but whether the entire logistics and market chain work commercially. 

Q4. Looking ahead 3–5 years, which part of the waste reverse-logistics value chain in the Philippines offers the most attractive growth or investment opportunity, and why? 

For the next three to five years, I see a strong opportunity in regional facilities that can actually consume recovered plastics. The issue is not necessarily the lack of processing technology, but the lack of commercial off takers that can use post-consumer plastics at scale. Facilities producing aggregates or other construction-related materials can provide a nearby and more consistent market for recovered plastics. Bringing the end-user closer to the source reduces transportation costs and makes the entire recovery chain more commercially viable. For me, this is where reverse logistics becomes more than just waste movement—it becomes part of the commercial value chain.

Q5. What is one key takeaway you would like to share with the investors regarding Philippine waste and circular-economy market that they should monitor closely over the next 3-5 years and why?

For me, the key opportunity is not simply collecting more plastic but creating a commercial market that will actually consume it. EPR can drive the requirement for recovery, but the economics will remain difficult if recovered materials must travel long distances to find a buyer. Investors should therefore look closely at businesses that can integrate recovered plastics directly into products with an existing market, particularly construction and infrastructure materials. If the end-user is located closer to the source of the waste, the entire circular economy becomes more practical and commercially sustainable.