ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said local government units (LGUs) should prioritize solid-waste management to address the worsening garbage collection and disposal problem.
In a statement, Cimatu said LGUs are duty-bound to enforce Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
The Philippines produces 40,000 tons of solid waste a day. The collection, hauling and disposal remains a big challenge, especially because there are not enough engineered sanitary landfills.
RA 9003 mandates the closure of open dumps or their conversion into sanitary landfills.
“The law provides that the primary responsibility on the implementation of waste segregation and disposal at source is lodged with the LGUs,” Cimatu said.
Cimatu met with board members of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (Ulap), an umbrella organization of elected government officials from provincial down to the barangay levels, last Friday to tackle among others the garbage problem.
Ulap sought guidance from Cimatu on the implementation of the garbage law, which mandates the setting up of engineered sanitary-landfill facilities.
Cimatu was told that LGUs find it difficult to comply with the law as building and maintaining sanitary landfills can be costly.
A sanitary landfill is a solid-waste management facility that utilizes an engineered method of land disposal, primarily for municipal solid wastes.
An “engineered” method of landfilling means that garbage is handled at a disposal facility that is designed, constructed and operated in a manner protective of public health and the environment.
The environment chief said resource-poor LGUs can pool their resources to set up a common sanitary landfill.
“Adjacent municipalities or cities may cluster together and pool their resources to establish sanitary landfills,” he added.
Also, he said LGUs may avail themselves of government loans, particularly the one being offered by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) under its green-financing program.
“[The] DBP is willing to provide financial and technical assistance to LGUs in implementing environment projects, including solid-waste management,” Cimatu said.
He added LGUs can come up with a scheme to pay back the loan, such as through collection of tipping fees.
The environment chief called for innovation among LGUs in finding solutions to their respective garbage woes, with the end in view of protecting not only the environment but also the health of their constituents.
He said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) continuously promotes alternative waste-management practices, particularly the 3Rs—reuse, reduce and recycle—which help cut back the amount of trash that ends up in landfills.
“Our landfills can only hold so much garbage. The 3Rs model remains the most reliable and useful strategy for efficient and effective management of solid waste,” Cimatu said.
He added the DENR has been actively implementing its waste-to-energy (WTE) policy, as laid down in a resolution issued by the National Solid Waste Management Commission last year.
The DENR currently undertakes a technical cooperation project with the Japanese government on the use of advanced WTE technologies, through thermal processes that eliminate incinerators. The cities of Quezon, Cebu and Davao have been chosen as pilot sites for the project.
Cimatu said the DENR is willing to extend technical assistance to LGUs in crafting solid-waste management plans and putting in place environmentally acceptable technology for solid-waste disposal.