Last March 6, 2012, the Quezon City Government was one of the eighty-three (83) local government units nationwide that was awarded with a Certificate of Recognition by the Department of Environment and Natural resources (DENR) for sustained good performance in the implementation of the Republic Act 9003 through segregation at source, deployment of dedicated units as well as the establishment and operationalization of Materials Recovery Facilities. In the National Capital Region, Quezon City is one of the three (3) LGUs that were given the same recognition.

The Quezon City Government, through the leadership of the Hon. Mayor Herbert M. Bautista and Hon. Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, aims to create a CLEAN, GREEN and PLEASANT environment for the people of Quezon City. To achieve this, several projects related to proper solid waste management are being implemented such as the (10) incorporation of the deployment of dedicated dump trucks for the collection of segregated wastes at source in the Terms of reference (TOR) between the City and Garbage Hauling Contractors, (2) implementation of the Hiwa-hiwalay na Basura sa Barangay Program (waste segregation) at the 142 Barangays of the City through massive IEC Campaigns, (3) opening of the Quezon City Sanitary Landfill and implementation of projects to promote environmental awareness, to name a few. Based on a survey done by SMART Research, a private company, for the QC Anti-Poverty Program, it was noted that 80.77% of the respondent residents of Quezon City are already practicing waste segregation.

The certificate, signed by Sec. Ramon JP Paje, DENR Secretary, was received by Ms. Frederika C. Rentoy, Head of the Quezon City Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD), in behalf of the Quezon City Government, during the seminar for the Pollution Control Officers held at the Dolce Latte Café on the said date. Present during the awarding were Ms. Emelita C. Aguinaldo, NSMWC OIC-Exec. Director and Dir. Roberto D. Sheen, OIC Regional Director of DENR EMB-NCR.