At the time of the partnership, Cebu City, like many cities in Southeast Asia, was facing rapid urbanization as people from more rural areas moved into the city seeking job opportunities and a better way of life. City officials were struggling with ways to resolve the problems of urbanization.

A major issue for Cebu City was that its landfill was rapidly reaching its capacity, and the city had very few resources or land area to build another landfill. City officials were trying to find a way to reduce the daily volume of waste entering the landfill and to educate community members about the benefits of and need for recycling.

To help Cebu City reduce the volume of waste entering the landfill, the partners agreed on an action plan calling for the devel­opment of a framework for a comprehensive, ten-year solid waste management plan as well as the development of two pilot projects in recycling and composting.

Despite a change in the leadership of Cebu City midway through the partnership, the program achieved a great deal of suc­cess. The city government developed a number of policy proposals to support the initiatives in the action plan. Cebu City also engaged citizens, NGOs, universities, and the busi­ness community in the proposed pilot areas to get their support and input.

As an unanticipated result of its efforts in exploring ways to reduce trash volume, Cebu City developed a greater relationship with the Ayala Foundation, a charitable arm of the Ayala Corporation. Ayala worked with the city to share experiences in recycling and composting and offered advice and expertise to city officials and staff.