(Photo Courtesy: Quezon City Government)
QUEZON CITY, (PIA) – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japanese government handed over a total of 25 biodigesters and food waste-on-wheels to the Quezon City government in an effort to support its transition to a circular economy.
City Mayor Joy Belmonte personally received the waste recovery equipment from the First Secretary and Agriculture Attaché of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines Jumpei Tachikawa and Resident Representative of UNDP in the Philippines Selva Ramachandran.
“Food waste constitutes 43 percent of the total waste generated in the city so we must establish a robust and effective food waste recovery program. These biodigesters and food waste-on-wheels from UNDP and the Japanese Government will help the city attain a low-carbon future,” said Mayor Belmonte.
For their part, the UNDP and the Japanese government expressed their commitment to continuously serve as a climate action partner of the country’s largest city whose goal is to achieve its fifty (50) percent waste diversion target through this provision.
“The equipment will support Quezon City in expanding its efforts towards a circular economy. It is our hope that the presence of the equipment in communities will provide Q-Citizens with better opportunities to practice circularity in their daily lives,” said UNDP Philippines Resident Representative Dr. Selva Ramachandran.
“I am optimistic that this collaboration with Quezon City will contribute to creating local circular economy models that can be replicated in other local government units,” First Secretary and Agriculture Attaché Jumpei Tachikawa of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines added.
Biodigester is a system that breaks down and converts organic wastes such as food scraps and animal manure into biogas. Its by-product can essentially be used for cooking and gardening.
Last July 2023, the local government reported that six (6) biodigesters were already deployed in public markets and community farms in the city.
Meanwhile, the newly added biodigesters will be positioned in various barangays including Bagong Pag-asa, Sto. Cristo, San Antonio, Talayan, Batasan Hills, Payatas, E. Rodriguez, Mangga, Escopa III, Marilag, St. Ignatius, Libis, East Kamias, Loyola Heights, Milagrosa, Kamuning, Pinagkaisahan, Roxas, Central, Bagbag, North Fairview, Kaligayahan, Talipapa, and Culiat.
The local government will also deploy a biodigester at the Joy of Urban Farming Demo-farm to process food waste as well as showcase the system.
It can be recalled that Quezon City is one of the cities that was identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as potential grantees of the 60-million euro project of the agency on local circular economy awaiting the approval of the National Economic Development Authority-Investment Coordinating Committee (NEDA-ICC). (QC PAISD/PIA-NCR)
