Zone 4 (population 10‚000) of 76A‚ the city’s largest barangay (the smallest administrative division in the Philippines)‚ was selected as the target district for the project. Our counterparts were Davao’s City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO)‚ the barangay captain (chief)‚ local government officials‚ and other district leaders who were responsible for local activities. The project was held in two stages: Trial 1 and Trial 2. The content included the reduction of food waste that used containers‚ efficient garbage collection with sub-collection points‚ promotion of recycling using recycling stations (stock cages)‚ and the adoption and operation of carts and automatic three-wheeled vehicles to collect and transport waste. The aim of these measures was to establish an integrated system to reduce the amount of garbage and to collect and transport waste.

Meanwhile‚ events such as a garbage collection contest and simultaneous cleanups inside and outside the school were held at elementary schools in the target district under the theme of "raising future generations to be aware of waste reduction." Although we encountered difficulties such as a change of captain in the middle of the project‚ the new captain understood the significance of the project and cooperated actively‚ so we were able to hold a final debriefing forum in February of this year.

The forum was attended by officials from Davao municipal government‚ the Consul General of Japan in Davao‚ and the captains of each barangay‚ and representatives from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and others reported on the project outcomes. Comments made in the discussion between people from the project target area included that the JICA project is transforming the district into a neat place with no litter scattered around. Participants at the forum commented on how commendable it is that the project worked to build a waste management system while gaining the understanding of the residents by getting deeply involved with the barangay.

Kitakyushu has signed an environmental sister city agreement with Davao. In addition to promoting the construction of a solid waste incinerator‚ it plans to propose a continuation of this project in the fall with the aim of further strengthening this relationship.