PARTNER CONTENT FOR DOW
“ I fell in love with the challenge
of trash. In some ways it’s more
complex than a moon shot.”The 42,000-ton mountain of trash is 50 years
old, seven-acres wide, and on fire. It towers over
little Dagupan City, Philippines, on the South
China Sea; endangering the ocean, a river,
the local economy, and families who live in
its shadow. Jill Boughton looks at the massive
mound of steaming garbage—and sees an
incredibly valuable resource.
“ There is only one universal truth
about trash: if it’s worth something,
it gets picked up.”Project by project, Jill works to prove that every
piece of waste has worth. Rather than starting
with technology, she begins with an extensive
analysis of the trash itself. Next she dives
into the local politics, economy, and culture
to determine how to extract the maximum
potential from the community’s waste. The
solution that emerges is tailored to make
the biggest positive impact—environmentally,
socially, and economically.
In Dagupan City’s case, the entire economy is
predicated on fishing. Sitting seaside, and at
the mouth of a river, when wind and storms feed
waste from the dump—particularly plastics—
into the water, a crisis unfolds for both the
environment and local livelihoods.
With crucial enabling capital from Dow, a new
zero emissions waste-to-energy plant is set to
transform plastic trash into diesel that will fuel
the local fishing fleet and public utility vehicles.
Rotting food at the dump sends methane gas,
26 times more harmful than carbon dioxide, into
the air. In response, Waste2Worth Innovations is
adapting 300 of the city’s motorized tricycles
to run on natural gas converted from Dagupan
City’s food waste.“ I knew if we could make our solution
economically viable on a small-cityscale, it could work anywhere.”
With far more small cities than large in the
world, Jill realizes success in Dagupan City
will set an important precedent. Already, the
plant is creating 92 jobs, a significant boost
to the local economy.Partnering with the city’s motivated mayor,
and the help of Dow, Waste2Worth Innovations
will safeguard more than the environment.
Waste pickers who gather recyclables from the
trash will be protected from harsh sun with a
first ever roof over the dump. Pickers’ children
will no longer spend nonschool hours on the
mountain of waste thanks to a new day care
and medical center. Without toxic plumes of
smoke blanketing the city, potential health
risks will be averted.“ My goal is to make it easy for the
average person to do the right thing.If we don’t, we’ll soon face an even
bigger crisis.”Today, Waste2Worth Innovations has expanded
to Indonesia, Africa, India, and Thailand.
Jill notes that in many communities, caring
about trash is an understandably low priority
for people struggling to put food on the table,
educate their children, and stay healthy.
Her transformational solutions bring a new
possibility to the front, proving that sometimes
waste can be the most valuable resource
on earth.