Baguio ‘green soil initiative’ thrives on waste management

BAGUIO CITY — The Department of Agriculture (DA) Cordillera and the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) led residents of Baguio in an initiative to help ease the burden of managing biodegradable waste in the city.

BTC chairperson Gladys Vergara said the Greensoil Initiative is part of an effort to address the city’s Biodegradable Waste Management, adding that the program focuses on encouraging discipline in every household within each barangay in handling their biodegradable waste.

Vergara explained that the city is burdened by a huge accumulation of garbage. She said residents can help the City Government by responsibly segregating their trash and conducting composting.

The city produces an average of 500 metric tons of garbage daily. The City Government of Baguio, through the General Services Office (GSO), transports the city’s waste to a private sanitary landfill in Tarlac.

Vergara stressed that such waste has significant potential in urban agriculture as it can be used to produce fertilizer through proper composting. In the Greensoil composting process, Vergara said, trichoderma, a reagent from the DA, is used to speed up the composting process while eliminating foul odors from the waste.

The process will produce fertile compost soil.