Laoag: The city government of Laoag, through its Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO), distributed 1,500 household composting kits to urban barangays on Thursday to help manage biodegradable waste. Mylene Isabel Pascual, head of the ENRO, emphasized that the initiative promotes household composting, especially in densely populated areas with limited space for composting.

According to Philippines News Agency, with an average of 50 tons of waste generated daily, Pascual highlighted that home composting could potentially divert 40 percent to 60 percent of household organic waste from ending up in landfills. "Equipping households with kits to compost their food waste will help ease the city's waste burden and extend the life of the city's sanitary landfill," she stated.

Pascual further reported that the composting kits were procured using the Gender and Development Fund, dedicated to the solid waste management program of the Laoag City government. Before the distribution of the kits, village recipients received training on how to use them effectively.

Additionally, a comparable program known as "Bokashi Composting" is being advocated by the provincial government of Ilocos Norte. This initiative, led by Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos, aims to reduce domestic waste. Araneta-Marcos noted that the composting project not only reduces waste but also provides benefits such as producing organic fertilizer from the by-products of composting bins, which can be used for urban gardening.

The program also plays a role as an income-generating project for persons deprived of liberty at the Ilocos Norte Provincial Jail. These individuals were engaged in making the pails for mass production and received compensation for their contributions.