Greening the Local Solid Waste Management Through Community Participation: Unfolding the Challenges and Creating Opportunities for Development Planning

The local government units (LGUs) are the principal implementers of the Ecological Solid Waste Management (SWM) Act 2000 (Republic Act 9003) in the Philippines. The law requires a barangay (village) to handle the segregation and collection of solid waste, specifically biodegradable, compostable, and reusable wastes. The municipality or city collects the non-recyclable materials and special wastes. The study aims to assess how community participation contributes to the greening of the local SWM utilizing the theory of participation and the approaches of community participation. The survey covered 100 households from a firstclass urban municipality. Key informants were interviewed, such as the local officials and SWM stakeholders. The study revealed that community participation contributes to the greening of the local SWM given the following conditions: (a) community members are familiar, aware of, and comply with the law and ordinances; (b) households are willing to pay for SWM services; (c) local initiatives are aligned with the sustainable development goals (SDG) 1, 3, 8, 7, 11, 12, 13, and 17; (d) local SWM programs adhere to Green SWM principles that are geared toward economic, social, and environmental sustainability; and (e) local SWM programs are efficient in responding to the SWM challenges and weaknesses and address them through the strengths and opportunities of the solid waste sector. These are necessary considerations in identifying the greening strategies for local SWM and mainstreaming them in local development planning.