The Balik Basket at Bayong para sa Kinaiyahan (Kalikasan) Program: A Solid Waste Management Program of a Local Government Unit in Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur

To support the continuing call against solid wastes in accordance with RA 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2002, the Local Government Unit of Dumingag launched the Balik Basket at Bayong para sa Kinaiyahan (Kalikasan) Program in 2012. As such, this study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the Program as a solid waste reduction strategy in the municipality of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines. A total of 192 respondents, 14 program implementers, 75local vendors, and 103 consumers from the six pilot barangays were involved in the study. The evaluative research design was employed with the questionnaire-checklist as main data- gathering instrument. Weighted Average Mean and the H-test were utilized to ensure accurate analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. The findings of the study revealed that the program implementers considered the Balik Basket at Bayong para sa Kinaiyahan (Kalikasan) Program as “Very Effective” while the local vendors and consumers regarded the said program only as “Much Effective” in reducing the solid wastes produced by the residents of the municipality. Furthermore, test of the hypothesis showed that the assessments of the program implementers, local vendors, and the consumers on the effectiveness of the program as a solid waste reduction strategy of the municipality significantly differed.

Keywords: basket, bayong,kinaiyahan (kalikasan), solid waste management