Environmental experts, academic professionals, and sustainability advocates gathered at SEARCA, UP Los Baños for the forum “Sustainable Solutions for a Cleaner Tomorrow: Best Practices in Solid Waste Management” on December 4, 2024.

The forum was organized by the Confederation of Circular Economy Club of the Philippines (CEC Philippines) and aimed to highlight innovative solutions and sustainable strategies to address the country’s solid waste challenges.

Atty. Martsu Ladia delivered the welcome remarks and conference rationale, emphasizing the importance of data-driven and community-based waste management approaches, particularly for rural local government units.

The first keynote speaker, Dr. Mark Dondi M. Arboleda of UPLB, discussed the role of the circular economy in waste reduction and the crucial involvement of academic institutions in promoting sustainability.

He was followed by Dr. Vella A. Atienza, who tackled public-private partnerships in waste management and illustrated how local governments can benefit from strategic collaboration with the private sector.

In the afternoon, Dr. Eureka M. Ocampo presented preliminary studies on Azolla, a water fern with significant potential as a bioresource for sustainable agriculture and recycling. She described Azolla as a “supercrop” with promising applications in climate-smart farming.

Ms. Evelyn B. Tolentino shared her experience in converting a sanitary landfill into a clustered resource recovery facility integrated with carbon capture and waste-to-energy systems.

The final keynote was delivered by Dr. Nervy C. Santiago, who presented practical models for carbon capture technologies and localized clustered waste recovery solutions for communities. The event was hosted by Ms. Jenelyn Sinagan Bangoy and Mr. John Montances. Final remarks were given by Ms. Jennylyn G. Matabang, who encouraged participants to act on the insights gained and foster sustainable practices in local governance.