A Perfect Zero

Cities in the Philippines have adopted zero waste model to manage their waste. It's not just turning their waste to gold, but also making the surroundings clean, green and environmentally sustainable

- SONIA DEVI HENAM AND SWATI SINGH SAMBYAL

RESIDENTS OF San Fernando, a city in northwest Manila in the Philippines, anxiously wait for Fridays. On this day, as the TV show Win-Win For All goes live, its hosts make surprise visits to unsuspecting households and check if residents are segregating their waste properly. Five households that pass the inspection get a cash prize of US $39.21 each. The novel concept, initiated with government help, encourages waste segregation at source, crucial for the Philippines which is making sincere efforts to reduce its waste.

Four cities of this Southeast Asian country have already achieved the incredible status of being waste-free. They have adopted the zero-waste model, which is not only cost-effective and environmentally sustainable, but also creates jobs for the informal waste collectors.

The governments have introduced ordinances which ensure strict adherence to the zero-waste model. Now, most of the waste in these cities is safely and economically recycled, reused, composted or turned into biogas through anaerobic digestion. So how did the four cities achieve success?

FORT BONIFACIO, TAGUIG

The cleanest in Manila Just about a decade ago, Fort Bonifacio was infamous for being the dumping ground of its neighbouring cities. With a population of 12,000, the city itself was producing 0.32 kg per capita per day of waste. Managing it was a challenge for civic authorities ​who had limited resources. Today, 95 per cent of the city’s households segregate their waste. Civic authorities collect and dispose it responsibly. The city is now the cleanest in Manila, the capital of the Philippines.