While commercial activity thrives, including a bustling ukay-ukay (secondhand) market in areas like Divisoria and Cogon, Cagayan de Oro also faces increasing pressure on its waste management systems. Informal economies and the influx of imported secondhand textiles highlight the complex intersections of affordability, urban consumption, and sustainability.
As part of its fieldwork, the UKAI Initiative is documenting how ukay-ukay economies in cities like Cagayan de Oro reflect broader dynamics of consumption, surplus, and waste redistribution across regional, national and global scales.