Turn trash into treasure through Robinsons Malls' Bottles to Soil program. Bring your dry and clean plastic bottles to select Robinsons Malls and exchange them for organic compost or loam soil from Soil Mates PH, plus free seedlings and seeds from the Bureau of Plant Industry. Just one 5-liter bottle or three 1.5-liter bottles are required to take part in this Earth-friendly initiative, but shoppers are welcome to exchange as many bottles as they please.
The program kicked off at Robinsons Magnolia, the first designated collection point, on March 6, 2021. The Bottles to Soil program has since rolled out to various Robinsons Malls in Metro Manila as community quarantine restrictions were eased: Robinsons Malabon (May 21), Robinsons Novaliches (May 28), Robinsons Galleria, and Robinsons Las Pinas (June 11). Each collection event was well received and well attended. Customers happily showed off their soil and seedlings, edibles such as tomato, ampalaya, eggplant, sitaw, and kangkong.
Plastic bottles equivalent to more than 1,800 liters in volume have been donated so far. Collection events are scheduled until the end of the month at the following Robinsons Malls: Robinsons Metro East (June 17), Forum Robinsons (June 18), Robinsons Antipolo (June 24), and Robinsons Galleria South (June 25).
Participants in Robinsons Malls' Bottles to Soil program showed off their soil and seedlings, including edibles such as tomato, ampalaya, eggplant, sitaw, and kangkong.
"Plantitas" and "plantitos" have sprouted all over Metro Manila since the pandemic began. Unable to travel or even go around the city, many people began to create their own private escapes at home. Whether starting with a desktop “pet” plant or growing an entire edible garden in their backyards, people have found one way or another to flex their green thumbs. Because of this, business has been blooming for plant and garden sellers.
Soil Mates PH, a Quezon City-based garden shop with a strong online presence, is among the companies that have benefited from the increased interest in home and urban gardening. Donating organic compost and loam soil to Robinsons Malls is its way of giving back to the community.
The program calls for consumers to exchange their plastic bottles for soil, but it not only benefits those who donate bottles but those who receive them as well. The collected plastic bottles are turned over to the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Industry, which gives them a second-life as upcycled planters for its urban gardening projects.
Urban gardening is one way BPI seeks to transform the urban landscape by creating green spaces against the backdrop of crowded concrete and steel labyrinths of its partner communities. Even without a plot of land, residents can grow produce, flowers, and foliage in vertical gardens and small spaces. The 1.5- and 5-liter plastic bottle pots are inexpensive substitutes for costly planters, and the potted plants can produce more seeds or can easily be propagated. Homegrown crops can even become an alternative source of income for residents.
Seeing how a plastic bottle that would otherwise have been junk in a landfill transform into a home of new life is indeed inspiring. Perhaps this could inspire more people to think about their trash differently. Let’s hope programs like these bear fruit and cultivate change.
