WHERE do heaps of garbage go?
For a metropolitan region producing more than two million cubic meters of solid wastes a year, collecting and transporting these litters are complicated unless proper solid waste management is employed.
Solid waste management refers to a system of proper management of household wastes generated by a community, said Alexander Umagat, director of the Solid Waste Management Office of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
“It is a system by which wastes are fully treated in a manner that will protect a community from the ill effects of mismanaged wastes which end up along the streets or being thrown in the rivers, resulting in flooding and other dangers in sanitation,” Umagat added.
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, also known as Republic Act (RA) 9003, is the governing law which mandates the reduction of solid wastes by implementing guidelines in proper waste segregation, collection, treatment, and disposal.
Umagat emphasized that MMDA’s role is to collect all domestic and commercial solid wastes in Metro Manila and transport it to designated locations, while other types of wastes are handled by other agencies, bureaus, and departments.
“Liquid wastes from different hospitals are usually facilitated by the Department of Health (DOH) while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) or the Environmental Management Bureau manages all liquid and other toxic and hazardous wastes coming from factories,” Umagat said.
Trail of trash
The system of garbage collection and disposal in Metro Manila differs from other areas and provinces in the country.
The local government units (LGUs) of Metro Manila are responsible in the collection of solid wastes, while MMDA ensures that there are proper waste disposal facilities for the garbage collected by the LGUs.
“There is a contractor in Manila, [which is the] Leonel Waste Management, that collects the garbage. [They] dispose the wastes at Pier 18 [in Manila] which is a transfer station, where the garbage in Metro Manila is temporarily stored in barges, a type of boat designed for rivers and canals. These barges are used in transporting the waste to its final destination in Navotas,” Umagat said, adding that MMDA finances the amount of waste disposal services.
Solid wastes temporarily stored in the barges are transported in different sanitary landfills.
“A landfill is an engineered facility for disposing wastes. It is equipped with devices to protect [the people] from contamination. It is covered daily to ensure that flies will not swarm over [the wastes] and will not give an extremely foul smell,” Umagat explained.
Metro Manila currently uses three landfills which include Navotas Sanitary Landfill, Quezon City Sanitary Landfill, and the Rodriguez Sanitary Landfill in Rizal province, which is the largest among the three.
Meanwhile, wastes from Quezon City are disposed to and managed by the Quezon City Integrated Waste Disposal Facility (IWDF), which is the former Payatas dumpsite.
According to Louie Sabater, environmental engineer of IWDF, biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes are collected on separate days.
“The trashes, usually household wastes, are collected by accredited howlers. Biodegradable wastes are collected every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while non-biodegradable wastes, or residual wastes, are gathered every Tuesday and Thursday,” he said.
Sabater said 1,200 tons of garbage is collected every day and in terms of weight, biodegradable garbage comprises the majority of the accumulated wastes.
Metro Manila had collected an average of 2,550,000 cubic meters, which is about 730,000 pounds of wastes, over the previous years. However, a reduced volume of deposited wastes was observed for the past year and a half, Umagat added.
“We’ve been noticing reduction in volume of wastes disposed in the landfills. This is a very good indication that the people are gradually implementing the provisions of the [RA 9003], specifically on waste segregation,” Umagat said.
Waste segregation is the system or practice of identification and separation of wastes.
There are two types of wastes which should be separated before the regular garbage collection— the organic or biodegradable wastes which decay over a period of time and inorganic or non-biodegradable wastes which neither dissolve nor decay, like metals and plastics.
Umagat said improper waste management would cause flooding and sanitation problems.
“When it rains, the water that supposedly flowing in the river is blocked by the accumulated trash thrown on the river which causes the water to overflow and flood,” Umagat said. “[This further] results in sanitation problems and diseases like leptospirosis and dengue, which could eventually develop to an epidemic.”
Industrial bane
Although plastics are widely used in the industry, organic materials make up the 50 percent of the total waste pile collected in Metro Manila compared to plastics which contribute only 17 percent. But the problem emerges when plastic products, which do not easily decay, accumulate in large numbers.
“[Plastics are] considered as the bane in the industry because it only accounts for 17 percent of solid wastes yet it does not easily decay,” Umagat said. “It does affect the solid waste management in Metro Manila because you have to deal with it and bury it in the landfills where it will stay for even a century.”
However, MMDA does not promote the use of paper bags as replacement for plastics.
“What we try to say is that people should learn to bring a recyclable bag which they can use in buying goods in the market. People may use plastics as long as the total wastes caused by these products remain to be in small amounts,” Umagat said.
But plastic products used by different establishments are referred to be “eco-friendly.”
An oxobiodegradable plastic is a type of plastic product which tends to be gradually degraded over a period of time. Although it still remains in the environment, these plastics do not act as a contaminant.
“The use of this type of plastic has been part of our program but there is still a huge debate on labeling these plastic products as ‘oxobiodegradable’ because it connotes some misrepresentation on the use of this material. [It is] because plastic may be degraded but even in its smallest form, it is still plastic,” Umagat said.
Garbage potency
Waste collection has become a source of living for people who usually live in Payatas district.
“From IWDF, collected wastes are turned over to the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), where wastes that can still be re-used are gathered. The rest is directed to the landfill,” Sabater said. “The selling of the recovered recyclables serves as income to some.”
The collected wastes are used to produce electricity and minimize the effects of global warming.
Sabater said conducted studies showed that electrical power of up to a thousand kilowatts can be harnessed from the landfill.
“The decomposition of biodegradable wastes produces gas, which is predominantly methane, which has 21 times more potency as a global warming gas. If methane from landfills is harnessed and converted to electricity, the greenhouse gases that go to the atmosphere are lessened,” Sabater said, adding that residual and combustible wastes can be altered to produce alternative fuels.
He noted that awareness and proper utilization of resources help lessen wastes.
“Awareness is the key. One should be aware of the ways on how to manage his waste properly. A person should also learn to maximize the use of his materials. If it can still be used, use it. That is one way of reducing wastes. Proper implementation of technology is also vital in managing wastes,” Sabater said. ALTIR CHRISTIAN D. BONGANAY and GIULIANI RENZ G. PAAS with reports from Andre Arnold T. Santiago
