We can have zero waste if we segregate at source – NSWMC

QUEZON CITY, September 8 (PIA) — To the National Solid Waste Management Commission, “zero waste,” although seemingly impossible, is achievable. The Commission emphasized that the most effective way to control garbage is to deal with it straight from the source, households.

NSWMC deputy executive director Eligio Ildefonso urges citizens to segregate garbage in their homes in order to lessen, if not totally eliminate the amount of trash. “More than 50 percent of garbage is biodegradable and 30 percent is recyclable,” said Ildefonso during the broadcast, “Talking Points of DZRB, PTV 4, and the Philippine Information Agency.

Citizens can immediately cut the amount of garbage in half by disposing biodegradable wastes in composting pits, while 30 percent of recyclable ones can be channelled to recycling plants, and the special and residual wastes are handled through specialized disposal.

Special wastes include batteries, bulbs, and other materials which cannot be dumped in landfills and require special disposal methods. Residual wastes such as used diapers and napkins are also specifically segregated for either incineration or dumping. NSWMC reiterated that incinerators can still be used despite of the Clean Air Act provided that users pass emission standard tests.

Ildefonso also emphasized the large role played by LGUs specifically in the barangay level and suggested a ‘no-segregation, no-collection’ policy wherein garbage trucks will not pick up unsegregated thrash. This will enjoin residents to follow proper segregation or suffer the consequences of a stinking neighborhood.

While the commission serves as an inspector of an area’s solid waste management scheme and is authorized to only give warnings or final notices, LGUs are still the ones empowered to implement solid waste measures within their jurisdiction.

According to Ildefonso, the recent Baguio landslide may have been prevented if proper waste management was observed. NSWMC has called for the closure and rehabilitation of the open dumpsites as early as 2005.

However, the local government of Baguio has opted to disregard proper waste disposal resulting in nightmarish results. (PND GGPIA-GHQ/PIA-CALAPAN CITY)

Tags: PIA, Solid Waste Management