In 1956, Sta. Barbara was the cleanest town in the country. More than four decades later, it was the dirtiest in Iloilo province. There was trash everywhere, garbage collection was very poor and residents had no idea what waste segregation was. To top it all off, a dumpsite could be found right in the center of town--five meters away from the public market and 10 meters from the communal artesian well.

      The local government relied on the residents’ cooperation to address Sta. Barbara’s garbage problem. Residents were instructed to separate their biodegradable from their non-biodegradable trash. A “no segregation, no collection” policy on garbage collection was implemented. Households are given back their trash if they do not comply and some have actually been fined for repeated offenses. Biodegradable materials are stored and turned into compost that are distributed free to local farmers. Non-biodegradable products, on the other hand, are recycled and sold to junk shops.

       Sta. Barbara now has an 87% garbage collection efficiency and aims to achieve a zero-waste status by 2012--ten years after it started its Ecological Solid Waste Management Program. The former dumpsite has been turned into a productive vegetable garden and an ecological park was set up at the alternative dumpsite. Recognized for its efforts in solid waste management, the town of Sta. Barbara will soon be the site of a new airport in Panay Island.