Quezon City, Philippines - The Quezon City Government has received 25 biodigesters and food waste-on-wheels from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Philippines and the Japanese Government to boost the city’s transition to a circular economy and further strengthen its food waste recovery strategy in communities.

Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed her gratitude as the city received the equipment from First Secretary and Agriculture Attaché of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines Jumpei Tachikawa and UNDP Resident Representative in the Philippines Selva Ramachandran. She also thanked UNDP and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for making Quezon City part of this initiative.

“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,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

“The equipment will support Quezon City in widening 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,” stated Dr. Selva Ramachandran, UNDP Philippines Resident Representative

For their part, the Japanese Government noted the significance of this partnership with the country’s largest city. “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,” shared Jumpei Tachikawa, First Secretary and Agriculture Attaché of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

Biodigesters break down kitchen and food waste such as vegetable peelings and spoiled or tainted food. The biogas can be utilized for cooking, while the liquid by-product can be used as soil conditioner for gardening.

The 25 biodigesters will be deployed in 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. A biodigester will also be located at the Joy of Urban Farming Demo-farm to process food waste and showcase the technology.

On the other hand, the Community to Farm Mobile Organic Waste Recovery System will be roving around beneficiary barangays, specifically in areas where there are food strips or high concentration of food establishments to collect food waste to be fed to the biodigesters.

The biodigesters and food waste-on-wheels are in addition to the city’s six biodigesters already deployed in urban farms and public markets.

“Communities are the most affected by the consequences of climate change. Through these biodigesters and food waste-on-wheels, we can effectively engage the community to participate in the city’s climate action, thus ensuring that the solutions are tailor-fit to their needs and challenges,” Mayor Belmonte added.

The handover is part of UNDP’s Accelerating Nationally Determined Contribution through Circular Economy in Cities or “ACE Project” that aims to enable and accelerate the country’s transition from a linear to a circular economy, while contributing to the reduction or avoidance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in key sectors.