Feed Your Empty PET Bottles into SM’s New Green Recycling Machines

GR Machines deployed in SM Malls nationwide set to make recycling easy, fun, and rewarding

Your empty PET bottles have somewhere better to go than landfills—and SM is taking them there.

 

Through the newly-deployed Green Recycling Machines (GR Machines), SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SM Prime) uses the nationwide reach of SM Supermalls to make sustainable action easy, accessible, and rewarding for mallgoers all over the country.

“The GR Machines enrich the SM Group’s existing waste management efforts under the SM Green Movement,” said SM Supermalls President, Steven Tan. “Through the deployment of these machines, we hope to collaborate with our customers in caring for the environment by helping recycle PET bottles whenever they enter their most loved SM Supermalls.”

Each GR Machine can be operated with ease by any user and can accept PET bottles up to two liters. Together, the GR Machines nationwide can collectively hold up to 5,000 bottles in one collection cycle which are compressed in-machine. The compressed PET blocks are then collected and given a second life by SM’s hauling partner Sentinel which transforms the blocks into reusable items such as food trays.

Little makes much: Preserving the environment one diverted bottle at a time

According to the World Bank, the Philippines leaks more than 300 million metric tons of plastic waste into the sea annually—equivalent to around 9 percent of its improperly handled plastic waste. The Philippines was also noted as one of East Asia and the Pacific region’s top contributors to ocean plastic pollution.

 

Recognizing that sustainability and protecting the environment is beyond the effort of one entity, SM has leveraged its presence nationwide through its properties to engage its customers and surrounding communities in maximizing the collection of recyclables especially plastics. Through SM Cares, its Corporate Social Responsibility arm, SM empowers communities to adopting sustainable practices through simple and accessible ways to take part in protecting the environment. Arresting the growing issue on pollution, the SM Group has enhanced waste segregation efforts to increase its collection and diversion of plastics from the environment since 2007 with its pioneer program, the Trash to Cash recycling market.

 

SM Group’s Trash to Cash initiative was organized by SM Cares as the pilot community program that encouraged customers to segregate recyclables like metal, paper, and plastic and exchange these for cash on a monthly basis. SM Supermalls also followed up this effort with the launch of two Reverse Vending Machines in SM Mall of Asia and SM Megamall which empowered customers to segregate aluminum cans and empty PETs in exchange for discounts on sports and leisure attractions. On top of these, SM also hosts nationwide coastal clean-up drives annually through the strength and effort of its workforce volunteers.

With the latest in mobile recycling technology, SM’s GR Machines encourage customers to turn good intentions into daily environmentally-conscious actions in three easy steps:

1. Feed any PET bottle up to 2 liters into the machine
2. Confirm your deposit by pressing the prompt on the screen
3. Await your reward

“This is just a glimpse into how SM aims to enrich the Circular Economy through the elevated role we play in integrating seamless waste management efforts, all for Filipinos. We are hopeful that with the addition of the SM GR Machines, our continued partnership with our customers in protecting the environment yields a more sustainable future” said Tan.

Customers can start depositing their plastic bottles in SM GR Machines across the following malls: SM North EDSA, SM City San Lazaro, SM Megamall, SM The Podium, SM Aura, SM Southmall, SM Mall of Asia, S’Maison, SM Seaside City Cebu and SM Lanang. (SM PRIME)

About SM Supermalls

SM Supermalls is evolving for a new era shaped by how people live, connect, and experience life today. More than a place to shop, it is the country’s most loved mall and an everyday destination designed around the lifestyles, passions, and needs of Filipino communities, delivering new finds, fresh concepts, and meaningful experiences, All For You.

As one of Southeast Asia’s largest mall developers and operators, with 89 malls in the Philippines and 9 in China, SM Supermalls continues to evolve its spaces, experiences, and partnerships, building destinations that grow with communities and remain trusted, relevant, and loved for generations. Your Most Loved Supermall, SM — All For You.

About SM Green Movement

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) is one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia, committed to creating sustainable, innovative, and inclusive spaces for Filipinos. Guided by its vision of building a better future, SM Prime develops malls, residences, offices, hotels, and leisure properties that support the growth of communities across the Philippines.

Through the SM Green Movement, SM Prime champions sustainability by focusing on waste management, water stewardship, and energy efficiency for lasting impact. The movement empowers individuals, families, and communities to take part in simple acts that create shared prosperity for generations to come.

SM Prime: Creating infrastructure for plastic-free communities

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the global production of plastics is forecasted to reach 1,100 million tonnes by 2050, with severe environmental, social, economic, and human health consequences.

The Recyclable, Disposable, and Compostable-labeled bins support SM's waste-free future initiative and align with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022.

As one of Southeast Asia’s largest integrated property developers, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) remains committed to creating thriving, sustainable cities.

With a waste-free future as part of its environmental strategy, SM Prime encourages the observation of International Plastic-free Day on May 25 and its call to rethink single-use plastics (SUP) for one day. Moreover, SM Prime celebrates the group-wide strides made to support the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022.

A group-wide movement for the EPR Law

The SM group, working with its Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO), Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability (PARMS), is pursuing a group-wide strategy to comply with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)’s EPR Act of 2022.

Formally known as Republic Act 11898, the EPR law requires companies to take responsibility for the recovery of their plastic packaging products and to pursue waste management programs.

SM GUUN converts disposable waste into fluff fuel, which helps unload overfilled and over-capacity landfills.

Acknowledging the challenges and realities for businesses and on-ground operations through its EPR working group committee, the SM group commits to a plan of action in reducing and recovering its plastic footprint within the given five-year period, sharing alternatives and new technologies to respond to the growing global crises, and establishing partnerships with government agencies and other private institutions.

As the property arm of the SM group, SM Prime’s commitment to a waste-free future aims to create the needed infrastructure that will help support and maintain plastic waste management strategies.

Crucial to waste recovery efforts, SM Prime equips its properties with a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), and standardized waste segregation and management practices to help reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills. A joint venture with a Japanese environmental solutions company, the SM GUUN Environmental Company, Inc. (SGECI), converts non-recyclable waste into cement fuel or “fluff fuel” for eco-conscious cement companies like APO Cement, Holcim, and Taiheiyo Cement, as part of its “co-processing” practice.

Beyond compliance

SM Prime continues with its established programs such as the nationwide Trash to Cash recycling market. Since 2007, it has been one of SM Supermalls’ flagship programs that continues to be more relevant given the times.

Available in all 87 SM malls, the Trash to Cash program has since been recognized as a rewarding community-driven practice for surrounding residents and mall tenants.

Activating the SM malls to help their communities with sorted plastic waste, Trash to Cash incentivizes the exchange of recyclables to provide a venue for plastic recovery. Fifteen SM Plastic Waste Collection sites likewise serve as drop-off points for clean, empty, and dry plastics. In addition, the Solid Waste Action Program (SWAP) reverse vending machines at SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia enable the diversion of aluminum cans and polyethylene terephthalate bottles (PET), which are considered high-value plastic products.

Volunteers participate in the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC) for a shared cause, with sign-ups increasing each year.

The annual International Coastal Clean-up (ICC), supported by SM Cares, continues to empower volunteers to take part in this global effort for a record-breaking initiative. In 2024 alone, SM Cares helped mobilize 23,000 employees, students, and various communities that joined nationwide volunteer efforts to remove trash from the world’s beaches and waterways.

Hamilo Coast, known for its Marine Protected Areas and its commitment to living in harmony with nature, together with employees, guests, and residents, recovers plastic waste during beach clean-ups.

Aiming for a waste-free future

Reduction is always the best option. The SM Hotels and Conventions Corporation (SMHCC) has long since eliminated SUPs from all properties in support of the UNEP’s campaign to phase them out. Pico Sands Hotel was also one of the first hotels to sign with the World-Wide Fund for Nature Philippines (WWF) in their Ayoko Na Sa Plastic Campaign in 2018.

SMHCC has successfully replaced all single-use amenities, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE) shampoo and shower gel bottles, and PET water bottles in all its hotel rooms.  Since 2019, as part of the SMX Convention Centers’ guidelines to promote sustainable events management practices, bamboo or starch-based environmentally friendly alternatives to replace plastic cutlery are encouraged to minimize waste generation.

Working collectively as a group to reduce the effects of the plastic waste crises creates a bigger impact at a greater scale. Through enhanced waste management systems, effective waste segregation practices, and proactive community effort, SM Prime aims to successfully divert a greater proportion of plastic waste away from landfills.

“Our work is never done. There are new technologies, innovative solutions, and more avenues for collaboration to look forward to in making the EPR Act work for our communities,” said Engr. Liza Silerio, Vice President for Corporate Compliance and Program Director of SM Cares for Environment. “But we all have a role to play--it is every individual’s responsibility to create a waste-free future.” (SM Cares)