Baguio City is taking significant steps towards sustainable waste management by hosting a monthly sustainability fair. The next event, scheduled for January 26 at People’s Park, will feature a free training session on ‘bokashi,’ a fermentation process that transforms food waste and organic matter into nutrient-rich soil additives. This initiative is part of a broader effort to educate the community on their role in environmental protection and waste management, which not only benefits the environment but also stimulates the local economy. Councilor Lulu Tabanda, who leads the city council’s Committee on Health and Environment, emphasized the importance of these fairs in raising public awareness about waste management and environmental protection. She highlighted the potential of waste as a resource that can be converted into food and income, aligning with the principles of the circular economy. The bokashi training will specifically focus on managing kitchen and biodegradable wastes, promoting the 10 Rs of the circular economy: refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, and recover. Tabanda also pointed out the financial burden of waste disposal, noting that the city has spent over PHP1 billion on garbage hauling and tipping fees at a sanitary landfill over the past decade.
