BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The city government has reported a major headway in the city’s food waste collection and conversion program with the help of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) facilities.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong said that overall, the food waste conversion program under the Bida Barangay portfolio of the “Pansa-nopen Tayo” Circular Economy program successfully converted ten tons of food waste from January to April this year.
According to the General Services Office, the city now has four BSF facilities. Three are completed and operational located at Dontogan, North Sanitary Camp barangays and at the Irisan Ecopark. Another one is being constructed in Irisan barangay.
TheGSO said the BSF facilities in Irisan Ecopark and Dontogan are receiving collected food waste diverted from establishments including major fastfood chains and hotels for bioconversion into organic fertilizer.
This makes high-volume waste generators part of the food waste collection circuit established by the GSO covering the central business district (CBD). Instead of being sent to the landfill, the food waste is diverted to the BSF for processing into organic fertilizers which are being used for the city’s parks.
The GSO said the Irisan BSF facility remains the city’s primary processing hub handling more than 4.6 tons of food waste over the past four months. Although a slight dip was recorded in March during the transition period, operations strongly recovered in April after the GSO optimized the CBD collection routes.
At the Dontogan facility, the GSO processed a total of 1.4 tons of food waste. The facility continues to support food waste collection in the southern part of the city and serves as a key site for the planned centralized Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
Meanwhile, the BSF facility at the Baguio Sewage Treatment Plant at North Sanitary Camp has become a fast-growing processing site. In April alone, it processed 1.4 tons of food waste, showing its growing capacity to handle waste from District 17 and other institutions.
The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) manages waste collection in District 17, covering North and South Sanitary Camp, Private Road Magsaysay, Trancoville and Alfonso Tabora. The collection also includes the City Hall Canteen and Newtown Hotel.
At the City Hall Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), around 65 kilos of food waste have already been processed into the soil enhancer. Several City Hall offices have also been noted to take part in the initiative from February to April, encouraging other offices to reinforce daily waste segregation practices in support of the Lead by Example initiative.
Mayor Magalong and European Union-Philippines Green Economy Partnership (EU-PH GEP) Local Government Unit and Stakeholder Engagement Specialist Dr. Marjorie Balay-as cited the food waste circularity program accomplishments and encouraged further strengthening of the same.
“We have to sustain our momentum in shifting the paradigm from traditional hauling and dumping practices to a circular resource model. Through technology and nature-based solutions, food waste is being converted into sustainable products that benefit the community. Let us keep going as part of our commitment to sustainable waste management and environmental protection,” the mayor said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
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The #EUPHGreenEconomyPartnership is funded by the @European Union in the Philippines as part of the EU’s #GIobalGateway initiative and spearheaded by DENR to support a green, just, and sustainable future.
Co-led by the @DILG and implemented by @UNDPPH, its Specific Objective 2 (SO2) #GreenLGUs empowers local governments and communities to lead inclusive circular economy transitions, reducing plastic and organic waste, creating green jobs, and building climate-resilient local systems rooted in sustainability.
Through the #EUPHGreenEconomyPartnership SO2 #GreenLGUs, Baguio City is advancing inclusive, locally led circular economy (CE) transitions.
