MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Science and Technology (DoST) has stepped in to solve the worsening solid waste problem in Makilala, North Cotabato.

This developed after the local government unit (LGU) of Makilala sought its help on the problem.

To address the solid waste issue, Makilala partnered with the Region 12 office of the DoST, through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), for scientific strategies of managing the solid waste problem.

Makilala has a population of 75,543 that churns out about six tons of garbage per day.

Through the agreement, the DoST formalized the transfer to the local government unit of its technology – a bioreactor that recycles biodegradable wastes into organic fertilizer.

The partnership details a sound and solid waste management system that is expected to permanently solve the mounting garbage problems of Makilala.

“We sought the help of DoST-12 after receiving a third and final warning from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to comply with Republic Act (RA) 9003,” Makilala Mayor Rudy Caoagdan said.

He disclosed that the LGU was troubled with solid waste disposal despite an intensive public awareness campaign on waste segregation at the household level since last year.

The Makilala local government also opened a new dumpsite in Barangay Leboce to partially solve the community’s growing problem on waste disposal, but this did not fully address the concern.

Caoagdan recognized the need for a more permanent solution to include reduction of residual wastes and providing employment opportunities to his constituents through the creation of alternative livelihood sources.

Through the technical assistance of the DoST-12 and DoST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) for the design and construction of the bioreactor, the municipality looks forward to having a facility that will recycle the wastes generated by its residents into organic fertilizers.

The DoST-12 assisted the LGU in the preparation of a project proposal that will help support the acquisition of a bioreactor for the recycling of biodegradables, which is estimated to be 65 percent of the total waste generated by the municipality or approximately four tons daily.

The bioreactor is the first of a series of technologies for the municipality in this joint initiative.

Recycling of non-biodegradable wastes like plastic, glass, and other materials using the ITDI-DoST technology has also been programmed by the DoST-12 for Makilala once the bioreactor is in place.

Last year, the DoST-12 conducted an awareness seminar among the town’s village officials regarding proper waste segregation and recycling.