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Current organic waste recycling and the potential for local recycling through
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 Waste Management & Research
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Current organic waste recycling and the potential for local recycling through urban agriculture in Metro
Manila
Yuji Hara, Takashi Furutani, Akinobu Murakami, Armando M Palijon and Makoto Yokohari
Waste Manag Res published online 15 October 2010
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X10386638

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Research Paper
Waste Management & Research
0(0) 1–9

Current organic waste recycling and ! The Author(s) 2010

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the potential for local recycling through DOI: 10.1177/0734242X10386638
wmr.sagepub.com
urban agriculture in Metro Manila

Yuji Hara1, Takashi Furutani2, Akinobu Murakami3, Armando

M. Palijon4 and Makoto Yokohari2

Abstract
Using the solid waste management programmes of three barangays (the smallest unit of local government in the Philippines)
in Quezon City, Metro Manila, as a case study, this research aimed to further the development of efficient organic waste
recycling systems through the promotion of urban agricultural activities on green and vacant spaces. First, the quantity of
organic waste and compost produced through ongoing barangay projects was measured. The amount of compost that could
potentially be utilized on farmland and vacant land within the barangays was then identified to determine the possibility of a
local recycling system. The results indicate that, at present, securing buyers for compost is difficult and, therefore, most
compost is distributed to large neighbouring farm villages. However, the present analysis of potential compost use within the
barangay demonstrates that a more local compost recycling system is indeed feasible.

Keywords
Organic waste, recycling system, compost, vacant land, Barangay, geographical information systems
Date received: 4 January 2010; accepted: 15 September 2010

Introduction In addition to the increases in organic waste, developing

The world faces increasingly serious environmental problems
as a result of increasing amounts of waste. In particular,
serious urban environmental problems are occurring in the
developing countries of Asia due to dramatic increases in
urban waste caused by the concentration of population in
urban areas amidst underdeveloped legal systems and social
infrastructure (Takeuchi & Hayashi 1998, Marcotullio 2001).
A defining characteristic of waste generated in these urban
areas is its high proportion of organic matter (Hiramatsu
et al. 2009, Shekdar 2009). Organic waste retains high
moisture content, and directly affects urban living environ-
ments with its odor and other unwanted byproducts (OECC
2004). The excess moisture content increases the volume of
organic waste, shortening the life of landfill sites and lower-
ing incinerator temperatures, resulting in an increase in the
overall load on waste disposal (Takizawa & Murakami
2001). If organic matter can be selectively removed from
waste, it would not only reduce the volume of waste sent
to final disposal but also bring considerable benefit to the
collection and temporary storage of waste as well as the
extraction of recyclable material (Kojima 2008).
countries in Asia also face the urgent issue of securing food
supplies for the poor (OECC 2004). The promotion of urban
agriculture is one possible solution to this problem. Fresh
produce from urban agricultural plots would have a direct
benefit on improving the nutritional state of the poor. One
can also expect various secondary benefits, such as the crea-
tion of new employment opportunities (Midmore & Jansen
2003). It is feasible to simultaneously achieve waste reduction
and the promotion of urban farming by composting organic
1
Department of Environmental Systems, Wakayama University
Wakayama, Japan.
2
Department of Natural Environmental Studies, The University of
Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan.
3
Department of Social Systems and Management, University of
Tsukuba, Tsukuba Science City, Ibaraki, Japan.
4
College of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of the
Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna, Philippines.
Corresponding author:
Yuji Hara, Department of Environmental Systems, Wakayama
University 930 Sakaedani, Wakayama 640-8510, Japan
Email: hara@sys.wakayama-u.ac.jp

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2 Waste Management & Research 0(0)
waste generated from residential areas near urban farms and
returning it to the soil (Shiralipour et al. 1992, Takeuchi &
Hara 2006). However, putting cyclical use of organic waste
into actual practice is, as Kobayashi et al. (2005) point out,
an operational challenge, particularly owing to the difficulties
of securing compost users. At the same time, numerous
reports indicate that the holding of vacant land for specula-
tion in Asian cities will increase (Murakami et al. 2005, Hara
et al. 2007). These vacant parcels of land held for speculation
may be expected to become potential users of compost
through farming activities on them. However, there have
been too few demonstrative field studies to discuss the feasi-
bility of such endeavors. Indeed, studies on the characteris-
tics of organic waste generation, treatment and disposal in
the developing countries of Asia are scarce. Thus, an essen-
tial first step in the knowledge accumulation process is to
understand the use of organic waste and identify current
problems through case studies (Kojima, 2008).
The purpose of this study was to reveal the actual state of
the disposal of organic waste from the above perspectives,
using the example of the advanced use of organic waste in the
Metro Manila region of the Philippines, a rapidly developing
Asian nation. More specifically, we conducted a thorough
field investigation to: (1) quantify the volume of organic
waste, such as kitchen refuse, generated within the adminis-
trative area and the volume of the production and supply of
compost; (2) identify the area and distribution of vacant
parcels and calculate the compost utilization potential for
all vacant parcels; (3) investigate the utilization of these
vacant parcels in the field. Based on the results obtained,
improvements to the current system that are necessary for
the cyclic use of organic waste within the study area are
identified.
Material and methods
Study area
Three barangays; Holy Spirit, Phil-Am and Bagumbuhay
located in Quezon City in the Metro Manila region of the
Philippines were selected as the study area (Fig. 1).
Quezon City covers 161.12 km2 and had a population of
2 679 450 in 2007 (National Statistics Office 2008). It contains
142 barangays. A barangay is the smallest unit of local gov-
ernment defined in the Local Government Code. The chair-
person and the council members are elected. In general, 10%
of all property tax revenue collected by cities or townships is
channelled to barangays to support their activites. A baran-
gay council consists of ten members – chairperson (barangay
captain), six councillors, a youth barangay, as well as a sec-
retary and a treasurer who are appointed by the chairperson.
Neither the secretary nor the treasurer has the right to vote at
the council. The administration of a barangay is character-
ized by the strong power exercised by the barangay captain
(Otsubo 2001). All three barangays that were selected are
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actively utilizing organic waste (Guzman et al. 2006).
However, they differ in area and population (Table 1).
According to Furutani et al. (2009), Quezon City was the
first of the Metro Manila municipalities to develop its solid
waste management plan (the ‘SWMP’) under the Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA9003). The
Environmental Protection and Waste Management
Department (EPWMD) is the department in charge of the
implementation of the plan, which started in 2001. In order
to meet the overall reduction target for waste generation in
Quezon City, the EPWMD helps barangays in the city to
organize waste management committees, provides guidance
on the installation of material recovery facilities (the ‘MRF’)
and the confirmation of their operation, and supports
planning for an accelerated reduction in waste generation.
The city also provides incentives under the SWMP.
For example, if a barangay initiates the implementation of
source-separated waste collection, a rebate equal to half of
the cost savings produced by a 50% or more reduction in the
frequency of collection by garbage trucks operated by
Quezon City is provided; if the barangay achieves its own
waste reduction and implements its own collection system,
the incentive is the entire cost savings. However, only 34% of
the barangays in Quezon City have completed the
programme up to the stage of installing an MRF after
6 years of efforts since the implementation of the SWMP.
N
Manila bay
Laguna lake
Holy Spirit
Phil-Am
Bagumbuhay
City boundary within metro Manila
0 5 10 km
Figure 1. Location of three barangays surveyed.
Hara et al. 3

Among these barangays, Holy Spirit, Phil-Am and November 2007 to January 2008 for Holy Spirit, December
Bagumbuhay are remarkably advanced in waste manage- 2007 to Feburary 2008 for Phil-Am, and April 2006 to June
ment and reduction (EPWMD 2007). 2007 for Bagumbuhay. Through interviews with personnel in
charge of the MRF, information such as the volume of
organic waste loaded into compost drums, the volume of
Quantifying organic waste flow in the
compost produced, the volume of compost sold outside the
target barangays barangay and its percentage of the total compost production,
In order to quantify the organic waste flow, the present the percentage of compost used within the region, and the
authors visited the management offices at the MRF in the volume of organic waste purchased by pig farms was also
three barangays in September 2007 and in March 2008, and obtained. To corroborate these data, the actual daily organic
obtained the organic waste collection data archived as waste carried into the MRF from the whole barangay area
barangay office statistics. These data are recorded in both on 24 and 25 March 2008 was weighed (Fig. 2). The
digital (for Bagumbuhay) and paper (for Holy Spirit and authors also followed garbage trucks (for Holy Spirit),
Phil-Am) formats kept daily by garbage collectors after garbage carts (for Bagumbuhay) and private pig farm
weighing at the MRF. Records were obtained for trucks in actual operation, accompanied by barangay
officers, to observe conditions during the actual collection.
The volume of barangay-produced compost consumed by
the barangay-operated farm (located in Holy Spirit and
Table 1. Profiles of three barangays surveyed
called ‘Eco Center’) was obtained through an interview
Barangay Population in 2007 Area Population density with the personnel in charge of the farm. In order to deter-
name (Quezon City 2008) (km2) (population km 2) mine the use of barangay-produced compost by residents,
Holy Spirit 102 194 3.28 31 157 25 households per barangay were selected to ensure an
Phil-Am 3652 0.46 17 163 even spatial distribution within each barangay area, and
Bagumbuhay 7895 0.26 30 365 the inhabitants were interviewed with respect to the use of
compost as well as the reasons for its use.

Figure 2. Features of weighting organic waste.

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4 Waste Management & Research 0(0)
Mapping of vacant lands and calculating the
potentials for utilizing compost
In order to investigate the possibility of developing a system
that recycles organic waste within the study area, the
compost-use potential of vacant land was calculated.
For this purpose, the spatial distribution of vacant land in
the three barangays was first examined. Polygonal data for
the vacant parcels of land in the study site wa extracted by
superimposing a 1 : 5000 grey scale ortho-aerial photograph
taken in 2003 and the 1 : 5000 basic city plan map developed
by the Metro Manila Development Authority in 2003 with
the assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency
(JICA). The ‘vacant land’ included bare parcels of land and
spaces covered by trees or vegetation, and excluded
buildings, roads and water bodies (i.e. rivers and lakes).
GIS software (ArcGIS 9.2; ESRI, Inc.) was used for this
task. Buildings, roads, walls, and water bodies were identified
on the city plan map, and vacant land through visual
interpretation of aerial photographs. Those places that
could not be interpreted were identified by a reconnaissance
survey carried out over 28 to 30 March, 2008. Lastly, the
total area of the vacant parcels and the percentage of
vacant land in the total area of each barangay was calculated.
Based on a vacant land distribution map produced
through the above-outlined methods and data pertaining to
the consumption of compost at the Eco Center in Holy
Spirit, the compost use potential of vacant lands in the
three barangays was estimated and compared with current
compost production. To estimate the amount of potential
compost application, the value obtained through the
interview at the Eco Center, where compost produced in
Holy Spirit is actually used, was employed. The manager of
the Eco Center had regularly participated in farming
seminars organized by Quezon City and was cognizant of
the importance of adjusting the components of compost to
meet component standards. Under his influence, the Eco
Center was preparing its fertilizer by adding 25% each of
chicken manure, rice hulls and soil to the compost produced
at the MRF and delivered to the Center for use in the garden.
A total of 20 tons of compost is used annually in the 0.6
hectare garden at the Eco Center, and this data was used
in the calculations in the present study.
To discuss the potential for actual utilization of compost
in vacant lands, a field investigation of the current situation
of vacant lot use in the sampled subdivisions in Holy Spirit
was carried out between 29 August and 3 September 2008
with permission of each homeowners association (HOA).
Seven subdivisions with a total 347 vacant parcels were
visited and the actual lot use; active farming lot, vegetable
and potato, gardening and others were recorded. To support
the field investigation, a HOA clubhouse of each subdivision
was visited and the president and staff in charge of subdivi-
sion maintenance were interviewed and data on vacant lot
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numbers, owner, user and maintenance fee from each house-
hold to HOA was collected.
Results
Current organic waste material flows in the
three barangays
The current organic waste flows in each barangay are shown
in Figure 3. In Holy Spirit, six barangay-owned collection
trucks (which are ordinary trucks rather than dedicated
garbage compression trucks) collect waste twice a week
from each of the three collection zones in the barangay.
The official statement received from the Barangay Office
indicated that household wastes were segregated into the
three categories of ‘recyclables’, ‘organic compost material’
and ‘other’. Observations of actual waste discharged by
households and collected by garbage trucks indicated, how-
ever, that organic waste was not segregated at the household
level but sorted into these three groups after collection by
several garbage collectors. After the collection rounds,
trucks gathered at the MRF where the segregated recyclables
and organic waste were weighed for the purpose of convert-
ing them to cash. Later, the recyclables were sold to junk
dealers, and the proceeds became income for the garbage
collectors. Any organic waste that could not be segregated
was carried to the final disposal site together with other
non-recyclable waste. The average volume of organic waste
in the source-separated collection was 2602 kg day 1, of
which 1500 kg day 1 was composted. This translates into
an input of fresh organic waste into one of the six compost-
ing drums every day. At this time, 300 kg of powdered palm
is added to adjust the component ratio. One round of
composting requires a compost drum to operate for a
week. Accordingly, if the six composting drums operate at
full capacity, they will not be idle as organic waste will be
loaded into an empty drum every day. The operation
produces 1260 kg day 1 of compost after the reduction of
its water content. The organic waste that was not composted
was collected by pig farmers who came from outside Quezon
City. The volume of the organic waste collected by the pig
farmers was estimated to be 1102 kg day 1, calculated as the
difference between the volumes of organic waste collected
and the input into a compost drum each day (Fig. 3(a)).
The barangay farm, called Eco Center, is the only user of
the barangay-produced compost within the area, consuming
about 126 kg day 1, or 10% of the average daily production.
According to the MRF official, the remaining 90% is sold to
farmers, particularly outside Holy Spirit, as well as those
who come from outside Quezon City for purchase. In the
interviews with barangay residents, all households inter-
viewed indicated that they did not use the compost. Eighty-
four percent responded that the lack of a place to use the
compost was the main reason. As these results indicate,
farmers outside Holy Spirit accounted for a considerable
Hara et al. 5

(a)
Holy Spirit
By household or private sector
Household Household Household Household By Barangay
2

1 Garbage truck
57% 2 10% 4
MRF Organic waste for Compost Compost use
Amount of collected making compost production at Eco Center
organic waste 1,500kg/day 1,260kg/day 126kg/day
2,602kg/day 3
43% 90%

Amount of organic Sold to Outside of barangay

waste withdrawn by farmers
hog raiser 1,134kg/day
1,102kg/day
4
3

Landfill Feedstuff

(b)
Phil-Am 1

Household Household Household Household Composting or feeding?

Dumping?

2
Organic waste 100% Compost production 2
carried into MRF 540kg/day
by residents (16,200kg/month)
(housekeepers)
489.7kg/day

1 100%

By household or Bought by
Private sector
LACTO Ltd. Farmers
By Barangay
Compost amount Compost amount

1,000kg/month 15,200kg/month
Outside of Barangay

Figure 3. Organic waste flow in (a) Holy Spirit; (b) Phil-Am; (c) Bagumbuhay.

weight as buyers of the compost (Fig. 3(a)). If many farmers
come from outside Quezon City to purchase compost, as
stated by the official, most of the compost is transported to
distant areas outside the barangay.
In Phil-Am, because of its limited area and upper-class
residents, it was not barangay staff but housemaids of almost
all of the houses inside the barangay who carry organic waste
into the MRF annexed to the barangay office. Organic waste
is segregated from other wastes at each house. Other wastes
are collected by Quezon City garbage trucks twice a week.
The average volume of organic waste carried into the
MRF was 489.7 kg day 1, and all of it was composted
(Fig. 3(b)). When the organic waste was put into the com-
post drums, the catalyst powder called ‘Happy Soil’ was
mixed at half the amount of the organic waste. A total of
1500 kg of both organic waste and the Happy Soil was put
into the drums during 2 days, then 1080 kg of the compost
was produced, thereby monthly production was 16 200 kg.

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6 Waste Management & Research 0(0)
(c)
Bagumbuhay
Household Household Household Household
1 12%
Garbage cart
collected organic waste
1009.1kg/day
88%
2 4
Amount of organic waste
withdrawn by hog raiser
883.1kg/day
Outside of barangay
Feedstuff
Figure 3. Continued.
A total of 15 200 kg was sold to farmers outside Quezon
City, and the other 1000 kg was bought by LACTO Co.
(Fig. 3(b)) whose president is a long-term friend of the bar-
angay captain. According to the barangay captain,
production of the compost has been gradually increasing
over recent years because of its good quality.
In Bagumbuhay, every morning (except Sunday) four
barangay staff collect organic waste and valuables from
most of households over the barangay area using garbage
carts, and carry them into the MRF. Then organic waste
materials are separated into two parts; one for making
compost, and another for pig farmers who come to the
barangay three times a week to collect it. These farmers
come from the municipality of San Mateo, located east of
Quezon City, where demand for feed is high due to a high
density of pig farms. According to one pig farmer, they also
collect yard waste generated from Quezon City for fuel to
make pig feed from organic waste. The average volume of
organic waste for making compost was 126 kg day 1 out of a
total 1009.1 kg daily organic waste collection. The staff daily
put this 126 kg waste mixed with 65.6 kg of the coconut dust
and 60.2 kg of yard waste, a total of 252 kg into the compost
drum. This process is done every weekday, and then one
week later the compost can be harvested as 121.06 kg
(Fig. 3(c)). A total of 45% of it was not homogeneous in
grain size and was, therefore, distributed to households
inside the barangay, allowing for 66.6 kg day 1 final compost
production to be sold to gardening shops (Fig. 3(c)).
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By household or private sector
By Barangay
2
45%
3
Organic waste Compost
for compost production
126kg/day 121kg/day
55%
4
Bought by
gardening shop
66.6kg/day
On sale
According to barangay staff, compost production has
recently been decreasing as a result of competition in quality
and price with compost that is commercially produced for
the market. As for household compost use, 54% of the
residents who were interviewed utilized compost distributed
from the barangay. Among respondents who did not use it,
45% indicated that use of the compost was not necessary,
whereas 55% replied that, although they were interested in
utilizing it, they were unable to do so because of the unavail-
ability and quality of compost as well as having no space on
which to utilize it.
Feasible recycling of organic waste within the
barangay through agricultural activities in the
current vacant lands
Vacant land distribution maps are shown in Figure 4. In Holy
Spirit, there were 1344 vacant parcels with a sum area of
562 980 m2, accounting for 17.4% of the total area of the bar-
angay (Fig. 4(a)). The potential amount of compost use in
vacant lands was calculated at 1876 ton year 1, which was
approximately four times larger than current compost pro-
duction (460 ton year 1). In Phil-Am, there were 103 vacant
parcels with a sum area of 37 859 m2, accounting for 8.5% of
the total area of the barangay (Fig. 4(b)). The potential
amount of compost use in vacant lands was calculated at
126.2 ton year 1, which was less than current compost pro-
duction (194 ton year 1). In Bagumbuhay, there were 98
Hara et al. 7

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 4. Vacant lot distribution maps: (a) Holy Spirit; (b) Phil-Am; (c) Bagumbuhay.

Table 2. Field-verified agricultural lot uses among vacant parcels in Holy Spirit

Subdivision Name Total lot Vacant lot Active Vegetable & Gardening Maintenance fee
number number farming lot potato (PHP month 1)

BF Homes 600 111 4 33 3 500

Mapayapa Village 2 190 34 8 18 3 375
Ishidora Hills 182 42 9 5 1 120
Don Enrique 300 75 4 11 0 400
Don Antonio 500 85 11 36 5 250
South Ville 113 0 0 0 0 200
Gran Wood 151 0 0 0 0 900

vacant parcels with a sum area of 21 079 m2, accounting for
9.0% of the total area of the barangay (Fig. 4(c)). The poten-
tial amount of compost use in vacant lands was calculated at
70.3 ton year 1, which was larger than the current compost
production (44 ton year 1).
Table 2 shows current vacant lot use in the selected
subdivisions of Holy Spirit, indicating that considerable
numbers of vacant lots were actually used for temporal
agricultural purposes. However, these agricultural lot-use
patterns fluctuated between the subdivisions. According to
the information obtained during interviews with the staff of
HOA, most of the vacant lots were held speculatively by
absentee landowners, and temporal agricultural use in
vacant lots were mostly done by ‘caretakers’ (Fig. 5)
who have private contracts with the absentee landowners
for maintaining these vacant lots. Through interviews with
actual caretakers, it was found that most of them used to be
housemaids or drivers of landowners, or their relatives,
thereby their identity can be guaranteed. Therefore HOA
can accept them into the subdivision, as they were not squat-
ters, although the degree of willingness to accept them dif-
fered between the HOAs of the subdivisions.
More intensive agricultural lot uses (included in ‘active
farming lot’ in Table 2) were also identified in several subdi-
visions whose HOA members, the presidents in particular,
were highly interested in agricultural activities. These HOA
members have joined in the ‘Kabuhayan sa Gulayan’ (urban
agriculture program) initiated by Quezon City Agricultural
Service and the Department of Agriculture in the national
government. Under this programme, they can attend training
courses for agriculture and get vegetable seeds and compost.
However, this compost is not produced in the barangay, but
rather sold in the market.
Discussion
Need to coordinate compost destination
in and beyond city scale for promoting
intra-regional recycling
All three barangays that were investigated placed the
composting of organic waste at the centre of their waste
reduction programme, and implemented a programme that
included the operation of a MRF. According to the actual
organic waste flow identified by the field study (Fig. 3),

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8 Waste Management & Research 0(0)
Figure 5. Examples of agricultural lot uses by a caretaker.
other than the Eco Center in Holy Spirit, there was no
destination for the compost within the barangay, and the
compost produced by the barangay was sold to outside
buyers, particularly to those who came from outside
Quezon City. It was also found that Holy Spirit and
Bagumbuhay were limiting the volume of organic waste
used at the MRF and the remainder was used as pig feed
by pig farmers outside Quezon City. This is presumably to
prevent the overproduction of compost. In the case of
Phil-Am, the barangay has contracted with a private
company to sell surplus compost; therefore it is possible to
produce compost stably. These facts indicate that it is impor-
tant to guarantee stable demand for compost produced from
organic waste in barangays.
At present, in all three barangays, the material flow of
organic waste extends outside the barangays (Fig. 3),
and, in particular, covers a wide area that includes rural
areas located outside Quezon City. Conversely, it was
found that current compost production in Holy Spirit and
Bagumbuhay could be entirely consumed within the baran-
gay if the vacant parcels of land existing in the barangays
were regarded as potential compost utilization sites.
Although in Phil-Am it is impossible to consume the entire
amount of barangay-produced compost on vacant land
within the barangay, the surplus could be transferred to
other barangays such as Holy Spirit or Bagumbuhay where
there are many potential vacant lots for compost utilization.
By so doing, Quezon City upper administrative unit, can play
an important role to coordinate the utilization of compost
produced by each barangay.
Need to install a new social system in and
below barangay scale for promoting further
agricultural uses of vacant lands
With recent rises in the price of resources such as oil, and the
subsequent increases in transportation costs, the importance
of developing systems of waste recycling within as small a
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region as possible will increase (Kagawa et al. 2007). A solu-
tion would be to use the vacant land existing in the region
more effectively and to convert the vacant land to a destina-
tion for the compost through efforts to promote farming
activities. The present investigation into the current situation
of agricultural lot uses (Table 2) supports the proposition of
further utilization of vacant lots for agricultural purposes
using compost. Considering the fact that a lot of the
vacant lots were temporally used by caretakers (Fig. 5),
suggests that a more stable status should be put on them
through a new ID guarantee system replaced by the current
private and individual basis contract between absentee land-
owners and caretakers. HOA may be able to play a role to
improve the ID guarantee system, however, during the inter-
views it was found that it was difficult to make a consensus
among HOA members. In such a case, the barangay can act
as an intermediary as Kobayashi et al. (2005) noted. In addi-
tion, better communication between waste management
division and agriculture division in barangay offices and in
Quezon City might contribute to further local recycling use
of organic waste.
Conclusions and future perspectives
This study quantified the current organic waste material
flows of ongoing compost projects managed by three baran-
gays in Quezon City, Metro Manila, and identified that it is
important to ensure stable demands of barangay-produced
compost for the projects. To achieve this, the considerable
existing extent of vacant lands as potential sites to utilize
compost was evaluated, and the spatial distribution of
these vacant lands in the three barangays was identified.
The present analysis of potential compost use within the
barangay area using vacant lands demonstrated that a
more local compost recycling system is indeed feasible.
Although the field investigation supported that it is possible
to promote agricultural activities in these vacant lands for
consuming compost by coordinating actual lot users, further
Hara et al.
field studies focusing more on the social relationships among
stakeholders including lot users or caretakers, lot owners,
HOAs, barangays and Quezon City will be needed in
addition to a closer look at the institutional framework
supporting organic waste recovery and urban agriculture.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the waste management officer of the
EPWMD, the barangay captains and the staff for the valuable
information received for the study. The authors also thank
the residents of the study sites and its neighbours for their
co-operation. The authors would like to thank Mr Jay
Bolthouse at the Department of Natural Environmental
Studies, The University of Tokyo for valuable comments and
English corrections. The authors also thank Ms Regina
Banaticla at the Department of Ecosystem Studies,
The University of Tokyo for kind help during the field survey.
This study was funded by a research grant (No. 2007-74) from
the Asahi Glass Foundation.
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