World Vision donates equipment for Cotabato City’s solid waste management program

World Vision recently donated to Cotabato City 26 bicycles with sidecars and one charcoal briquetting machine for its seven barangays (villages) as a support to the city’s advocacy on climate change and solid waste management.

The bikes will be provided to collectors who collect recyclable materials from their respective communities and put them in their Material Recovery Facilities (MRF).

“We’re providing our communities with bikes so individuals collecting recyclable materials have an easy way of carrying the materials to the MRF,” Emmanuel Sudario, World Vision Project Officer, explained.

World Vision also provided one charcoal briquetting machine which is an alternative way to produce charcoal.

Some residents were also trained by the City Environment and Natural Resources Office’s (CENRO) on how charcoal briquetting works.

Charcoal briquetting is a method of turning biomass such as dried twigs, leaves, branches into charcoal alternatives. Charcoal briquette is a high-flammability source and costs less compared to the ones sold in markets. It also produces less smoke, has a longer burning time, stable combustion process, and is simple to operate.

“The training on charcoal briquetting is for them to have additional income as well,” added CENRO Public Service Officer Engr. Jerud Kamensa, who helped World Vision train the community on charcoal briquetting.

“These are just some of the ways that we are helping the city of Cotabato in enhancing the city’s solid waste management program, while at the same time providing additional income to the community when they sold materials to junk shops or turned them into charcoals,” Emmanuel Sudario, World Vision Project Officer, said.