24/08/2026
๐๐ฆ๐ข ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ข๐ฅ๐ง๐ฆ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ข๐ก๐ข๐ ๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ก๐จ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ
The city continues to expand its circular economy efforts, with stronger community participation in recycling, plastic collection, and food waste management programs.
These efforts were highlighted by the City General Services Office (GSO) during the 3rd Pansa-nopen Tayo Barangay-to-Barangay Learning Session held on July 31, 2026, at the DENR Training Centre, Gibraltar, where GSO presented the cityโs accomplishments and ongoing initiatives in advancing the cityโs Pansa-nopen Tayo program from January to July 2026.
Engineer Emmil Floresca, GSO public services officer, discussed Baguioโs organic waste situation, including the challenges, opportunities, the cityโs path toward circularity, and the accomplishments during the first seven months of 2026.
Floresca noted that compliance with waste segregation at the barangay level has increased and thanked the barangays for their continued cooperation.
He said the improvement is reflected in the growing participation of barangays in various city programs aimed at promoting sustainability and achieving zero waste.
Among these programs is the single-use plastics collection for the Basura-to-Silya initiative, which collected a total of 1,116.736 kg of single-use plastics from barangays between January and July 2026. The collected materials included PET bottles, wrappers, sachets, and other plastic waste, bringing the total to more than 1.1 metric tons.
The GSO officer also reported that more barangays are joining the Basura-to-Silya initiative, indicating that more communities are embracing proper waste segregation and plastic recovery.
Moreover, Floresca also presented the achievements of the cityโs six pilot barangays. From January to June 2026, a total of 48,367.40 kg of recyclable materials was recovered. Irisan contributed 26,581 kg, followed by Guisad Central with 12,602.75 kg, Bakakeng Central with 3,769.50 kg, Gibraltar with 3,174.20 kg, Dominican Mirador with 1,242.45 kg, and Happy Hallow with 997.50 kg.
In addition, the pilot barangays recovered 9,206.15 kg of plastic materials, representing 19.03 percent of the total recyclable materials collected.
While plastics remain a major component of the cityโs recovery efforts, GSO highlighted that food waste also presents a significant opportunity for resource recovery. Baguioโs Black Soldier Fly (BSF) facilities continue to support the cityโs food waste management program.
At the BSF facility in the Irisan Composting Facility, a total of 11,980 kg of food waste was processed from January to July 27, 2026, with collection volumes increasing significantly in May and June. Meanwhile, the BSF facility at the Dontogan Transfer Station processed 4,775.43 kg of food waste during the same period.
These figures reflect the growing participation of partner establishments and communities, as well as the cityโs expanding capacity to recover biodegradable waste through the BSF program.
Food composting is also being promoted at Baguio City Hall through the food composting machine at the Pansa-nopen Hub, which processed 125.25 kg of food waste from February to June 17, 2026.
By leading through example, the city encourages barangays, institutions, and communities to adopt similar waste recovery and composting solutions.
Overall, the cityโs circular economy programs processed a combined total of 16,880.68 kg of biodegradable waste during the first seven months of 2026.
According to GSO, these facilities demonstrate how different technologies and programs complement one another in advancing Baguioโs circular economy goals.
โThese accomplishments prove that a circular Baguio is not just a vision; it is already becoming a reality through the collective efforts of the city government, partner establishments, and communities. However, sustaining this progress requires the participation of every barangay,โ Floresca added. - Mikee Ganotan
