QC chosen as pilot area for Swedish recycling program

The Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) has chosen Quezon City as the pilot area for the implementation of a systematic garbage reduction and recycling program.

In a report to Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Frederika Rentoy, chief of the city’s Environment Protection and Management Division (EPWD), said the Swedish government would be funding the setting up of material recovery facilities (MRFs) and equipment.

MRFs segregate bio-waste from non-bio waste and process biodegradable waste into fertilizer.

Rentoy said the SIDA chose two clustered barangay areas for the project, which the city government is implementing in compliance with the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Act.

She said the first phase of the program would be the profiling of barangays, the organization of clusters and the formation of a waste management plan. The final phase would be the setting up of the MRFs.

MRFs were first introduced in Barangay Holy Spirit, which had significantly reduced its garbage output.

The Holy Spirit MRF, which has already received several awards and citations, generates and processes high-grade fertilizer from its compost area where bio waste is deposited.

The facility also tapped residents to make handbags out of newspapers and empty tetra packs segregated from the MRF.

As an incentive to the barangays, the city government will reimburse waste management expenses to make them more self reliant and effective in the collection and disposal of garbage.