MobilizingPublicSupportforaSustainableSolidWasteManagement:

TheCaseStudyofSantoTomasMunicipality,Philippines
Aquino,PeachieAnn,Delina,Laurence,Fernandez,Charlemagne,Baguio,ArmandoJr.

I. Introduction:
1.1SystemforSolidWasteManagement(SWM)
Solid Waste Management (SWM) systems reflect the wide array of Asian urban living. The increasing
need to understand SWM and its importance is brought about not only by the concentration of the
population in urban centers but also by other factors including the emergence of newer technologies
andrisingpublicawarenessontheimportanceofsanitation.WhileSWMinAsiavaries,atypicalsystem
foritsimplementationgoesthisway.Wasteisgeneratedatsource(fromresidentialareas,commercial
andindustrialestablishments,andothersources),collected(eitherhousetohouseoratfixedstations),
transported to either a processing system (material or energy recovery, or volume reduction by
composting,recyclingandreusing),andfinallydisposedatlandfillsoratincinerators1.Throughoutthese
stages, the overarching goal of reducing waste as much as possible remains a particular objective in
everyurbansociety.
Theeconomicstatusofasocietydoesnotonlydefinethequantityofsolidwastegenerationbutalsothe
systemsthatgoalongwithitsmanagement.Reviewingtheestimatesofsolidwastequantitiesamong
various Asian countries, Shekdar (2009) found out that the composition of solid waste differs across
countriesfromvaryingstagesofdevelopment.Whiletheproportionofrecyclables(paper,plastic,etc)is
high in developed economies, it is low in lowincome countries which often have a high fraction2of
degradable organic matter. There are several elements directly affecting the quantity of waste
generated and these include: lifestyle associated with certain incomes, the number of people in
household,socioeconomicdevelopmentandthedegreeofindustrialization,andclimateandseasonal
changes(TroschinetzandMihelcic2009).
Indevelopingcountries,thecollectionprocessusuallystartsatcommunitybinsinstalledatdesignated
fixedstationswhereresidentsintheareaaresupposedtodeposittheirsolidwaste. Moreoften than
not, public participation in developing urban centers is limited and it is not uncommon to see waste
being littered around community bins. One problem in most of the lowincome country collection
systemsisthatthesearerelativelyinefficientsincethecollectionvehiclesarenottechnologicallyfitted
tocollectmajorityofdevelopingcountrieshighdensityorganicwaste(Shekdar2009).
Priortofinaldisposal,solidwasteareprocessedforbothreuseandrecyclinginordertoreducethefinal
volumeandthepollutionpotentialforlandfills.Whileanorganizedmodeofcollectionandprocessingof
recyclablesindevelopedcountriesexists,therecoveryandrecyclingproceduresindevelopingcountries
areperformedprimarilybytheinformalsectormostlybyscavengersandlessorganizedsmallindustries.

There is a debate as to whether to consider incineration as a waste disposal approach in the sense that it is still necessary to
dispose of ash for incinerated which reduce this technology to a waste reduction approach (UNESCAP 2006).
2 UNESCAP (2006) estimated that organic waste comprised about 70-80 per cent of total waste generated.

Theultimatedisposalpointforsolidwastesthatcannototherwisebeprocessedisthesanitarylandfill,a
practicethatentailshighcostandtechnologywhichisexpensivefordevelopingcountriestoputupand
manage.Still,amajorityofurbancentersinlowincomecountriesrelyonopendumping3.
1.2SolidWasteManagementPracticesinAsia
The developed economies of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore ultimately aim for the
eliminationoflandfillsfromtheirsystems.Inthesecountries,SWMsystemshavestabilizedthrougha
varietyoflegalmeasuressupportedbynationalfunding(Shekdar2009).Likewise,inthesehighincome
Asiancountries,theircitizensarehighlyawareoftheirresponsibilitiesmakingSWMacommonpractice.
Thisisnotthecase,however,inmanyAsiancountrieswherenospecificregulationsforSWMexist.In
many lowincome Asian countries, the regulations mainly codify the responsibility and expectation
associatedwiththemanagingagency,usuallythelocalgovernments.InthePhilippines,forinstance,the
Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 devolves SWM to local governments. In Thailand,
SWM is covered by the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environment Quality Act. In
Malaysia, various components of the SWM services have been privatized. In Indonesia, community
neighborhood units carry out solid waste collection with landfills being shared among local
governments.
Despite devolution, local governments in developing economies find themselves unable to provide
regular service to urban residents often resulting to accumulation of solid waste in many areas.
Frequently, SWM is given low priority by local government officials making it underfunded and
inadequateintermsofhumanresources.Locatingnewsitesfordisposalhasalsobecomeincreasingly
difficult due to public opposition, cost of land, and lack of appropriate land area. Perhaps the most
importantfactorforpoorperformancerelateswithsocietalandmanagementapathy.Vastnumberof
literature suggests that the operational efficiency of SWM depends on the active participation of the
localgovernmentandofthecitizens,butsincethesocialstatusofSWMinlowincomeAsiancountriesis
low,thereislackofinteresttowardsit.
Globally,thereisadrivetowardsSWMsustainability.3Rinitiativeshavebeenintroducedaccordinglyto
reduce,reuse,andrecyclewastematerialswiththeendviewofreducingthefinalvolumeofwastethat
enters landfills. The 3R approach can be applied by minimizing waste generation through source
reductionandseparation.Thisnotonlyrespondstotheproblemsofincreasingwastegeneration,but
may also provide significant gains from the reuse and recycling of waste. Promoting this approach
howeverrequiresestablishingrelatedpoliciesalongwithenvironmentallysoundrecyclingmechanisms,
utilizing financial incentives such as government subsidies for recycling technologies, and harnessing
market forces, including supporting recycling technologies and public awareness (UNESCAP 2006:34).
AlthoughtherateofrecyclinghasincreaseddramaticallyintheAsiaPacificfrom10percentin1990to
22percentin1998(ARRPET2004citedbyUNESCAP2006),itisstillnotpracticedwidelyandeffectively.

While this is always the case, there are already attempts for urban centers in developing countries to shift towards sanitary
landfilling.

Overall,theapproachtoeffectiveSWMcanbeconsolidatedbyintegratingfactorsandsystemssuchas
policy and legal framework, institutional arrangement, appropriate technology, operations
management, financial management, and for the purpose of this paper, public awareness and
participation.
1.3. TheLocalGovernmentandtheEcologicalSolidWasteManagementActofthePhilippines
The passage in 1991 of the new Local Government Code4(LGC) represents a major shift in local
governanceinthePhilippinesvyingforamoreresponsiveandaccountablelocalgovernmentstructure
by decentralizing the powers given to the national government. Considered one of the most
revolutionary legislation ratified by the national government, it provided the local government units
(LGUs) the full power to govern itself including levying local taxes. The Code transfers from national
government agencies to local government units (LGUs) the principal responsibility for the delivery of
basicservicesandtheoperationoffacilitiesinthefollowingareas:agriculturalextensionandresearch,
social forestry, primary health care, hospital care, social welfare services, water supply, communal
irrigation, land use planning, repair and maintenance of local infrastructure facilities environmental
managementandpollutioncontrol(Manasan,2002).
Amongthemanyurbanservicesectorswherelocalgovernmentshavebeenatthehelmofaggressively
promotingthisnewgovernanceapproachisinSWM.Theyear2000markstheratificationofRepublic
Act(RA)9003alsoknownastheEcologicalSolidWasteManagementActofthePhilippinesprovidingthe
basicpolicyframeworkonSWMin thecountry.Thepolicyhighlights thepivotalandinstitutionalrole
thatLGUsplayinthewholelifecycleoftheSWM,thatis,fromsegregation,collection,transportation,
storage to disposal. The policy seeks to protect public health and the environment, the use of
environmentally sound methods to maximize the utilization of valuable resources, set guidelines and
targetsforsolidwasteavoidanceandvolumereduction,andinstitutionalizepublicparticipationamong
others.Greatersectorparticipationisstronglyencouragedthatshouldbringallstakeholdersincluding
households, communities and all other sectors involved in the conduct of waste management at the
locallevel.
II. OverviewofSantoTomasMunicipality,DavaodelNorte
The Municipality of Santo Tomas is a firstclass municipality located in the island of Mindanao the
southernmost island of the Philippines. The 32,041 hectare municipality is home to 84,367 people
(NationalStatisticsOffice,2000).Predominantlyrural,themunicipalityiscomprisedof19barangays5or
communitieswithonlyBarangayTibalogconsideredurban.
Santo Tomas is generally an agroindustrial town. Majority of its plains were utilized for abaca
cultivationduringtheprewarperiod.In1955,thePhilippinegovernmentawardedaloggingconcession

The Code is applied to all provinces, cities, municipalities, barangays and other political
subdivisions as may be created by law, and, to the extent herein provided, to officials, offices, or
agencies of the national government (LGC).
5 A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is a local Filipino term for
a community, village, district or ward.
4

totheDavaoPenalColony(DAPECOL)stipulatingasegregatedreservationforsettlementpurposes.The
settlement area, which was managed and controlled by the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Administration (NARRA), was located in Barangays Tibalog and Libertad. This reservation area
eventuallyturnedintoaprogressivehumansettlementthatisnowSantoTomasMunicipalityandmade
BarangayTibalogapromisingcenterofagricultureandtrade.
Over the years, abaca culture was slowly phasedout paving the way for banana culture to propagate
(ESWM Plan). Currently, 19% of the total land area of the municipality is allocated for banana
plantations and about 54% devoted to other agricultural crops like rice. Banana, specifically the
cavendishvariety,isamajordollarearnernotonlyforthemunicipalitybutalsofortheprovinceandthe
region.
2.1TheEcologicalSolidWasteManagement(ESWM)ProgrammeofSantoTomasMunicipality
The prevalence of agricultural activities has significantly contributed to the volume of solid waste
generated in the municipality. In 2003, approximately 368 tons of solid waste was generated in the
municipality of which 89% were accumulated from agroindustrial sources particularly banana
plantations.Indeed,thissectorcontributesthelargestsharefromthetotalwastegenerationfollowed
byresidentialorhouseholdsectorwith6%,hospitalandadministrativeofficeseachwith2%shareand
commercialsectorwith1%.The2003wastecharacterizationofthemunicipalityshowsthatoutofthe
totalvolumeofwastegenerated60%iscomprisedoforganicmaterials,2%specialwaste,18%residual
and20%recyclables.ThedetailedwastecomponentispresentedinAnnex1.
Local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines, like Santo Tomas Municipality, have been tasked to
provide basic environmental services such as SWM in its locality. Solid waste services from collection,
transportation, storage to final disposal are provided by the municipal government of Santo Tomas.
Before 2003, substantial amount of mixed waste are collected by the municipal government from all
sourcesincludingthosefromagroindustries.The collectedwastesarethentransportedanddisposed
directlytothe2hectareopendumpsitethatismanagedbythemunicipalgovernment.
However,notallareasin the municipalityareaccessiblebyroadhamperingtheefficient collectionof
waste.Previousyearshaverevealedtherampantpracticeofopenburningofwastesanddirectdisposal
ofwasterefuseonopenspaces,riverscreeksandvacantlots.Bothurbanandruralareas,unsortedand
scatteredlitterswerecommonsight.Theseposedhighrisksnotonlytotheenvironmentbutlargelyto
thehealthconditionsofthepeopleofSantoTomas.
Acknowledging the gaps and limitations of the current SWM system, the municipal government
established the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) programme in 2004 to provide an
adequate and effective SWM system for entire municipality including every barangay. This initiative
started by reorganizing the Municipal Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Board and strengthening its
capacity to design and implement a suitable SWM plan. The ESWM Board, headed by the Municipal
Mayor,ismadeupofrepresentativesfromeachmunicipalbureaus,barangayrepresentatives,academic
institutions, local NGOs and private entities. A tenyear Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM)
Planfrom2002to2012wasestablishedbytheBoardasaguidingframeworkfortheimplementationof

the ESWM program which is focused on four components: education, enforcement, engineering and
entrepreneurship.
Undertheeducationcomponent,anESWMTaskForcewasorganizedbytheESWMBoardtoconduct
sectoral information and education campaign to introduce the municipal ESWM program, the role of
eachsectorplaysinwastemanagementandtheimportanceofwastesegregationatsourcetoaddress
theincreasinggenerationofwasteinthemunicipality.Theenforcementcomponentprovidesthelegal
framework for the ESWM program through the ratification of the City Ordinance Number 006, an
ordinancethatprohibitslittering,openburninganddumpingandnonsegregationofwaste.Finesand
penaltieswereformulatedandlegallydeputizedtheESWMTaskForce,barangayandpurok6officialsto
enforceviolationsthroughissuanceofcitationticketsornoticesofviolation.
The programs engineering component supports the infrastructure and technical requirements of the
ESWMprogram.Thiscomponenthandlestheprogramsmanagementandoperationsystemsincluding
systematic collection service, data banking, controlled dumpsite management, recycling, composting
and related activities. At source level, the component strictly enforces the practice of segregation at
source and 3R practices (reduce, reuse and recycle). Composting trainings were also conducted
particularlywithagroindustrialestablishmentssuchasbananacompaniestoaddressthelargechunkof
organicwastegenerated.Strategiccollectionpointsweresetuptoensureefficientcollectionthatcould
reacheventhefarflungareas;collectionscheduleisarrangedbytheESWMtaskforceincoordination
with the barangay and purok officials. Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)s were also constructed in
barangays and puroks to facilitate community recycling and composting. To date, there are 127
OperationalMRFsand298GarbageCollectionPointsintheentiremunicipality.Theoldmunicipaldump
sitehasbeenconvertedfromanopenfacilitytoacontrolleddisposalfacilitycompletewithaseptictank
toholdspecialwaste,holdingpond,anddrainage.ItwaslaterrenamedastheMunicipalEcologicalPark
andEcologyCenter.Figure1showstheflowofSto.Tomassolidwastemanagementsystem.

Figure1:TheFlowofSolidWasteManagementSysteminSantoTomasMunicipalityi

Purok or zone is the main division of a barangay.

The programme also promotes various incomegeneration projects from waste management to uplift
the socioeconomic condition of the people through the entrepreneurship component of the ESWM
Plan.Trainingswereconductedonvariousrecyclingandcompostingtechnologieswiththeendviewof
generating income. Womens organizations and students were also trained in handicraft making.
Junkshops catering mostly to recyclables disposed by households have increased in number after the
program was launched. Small scale itinerant buyers of scrap metals, plastics, cartons and other
recyclable materials had also increased in number and had been instrumental in strengthening the
recyclingpracticeinthemunicipality.
III.

ResearchObjectives:

ThisresearchwasundertakentoidentifythesuccessfulstrategiesadoptedbytheMunicipalgovernment
of Santo Tomas in mobilizing public support or participation for the implementation of the ESWM
programme.Thiscasepaperalsoassessedthebenefitsofamultistakeholderpartnershipininfluencing
peoples behavior towards SWM and achieving improvements in the municipalitys environmental
condition. Public perception on the efficiency and effectiveness of the new SWM system was also
assessedinthispaper.
Keystakeholderinterviewandrandomsurveywereutilizedtocollectprimarydatafromthe different
stakeholdersofthemunicipalityincludingresidentsorhouseholds,communityleaders,agroindustrial
companies, smallscale recycling companies, informal itinerant waste buyers, schools and municipal
officials.
Amongthe19Barangays,BarangayPantaronandBarangayBobongonwereselectedforthesurveyto
representtheeasternandwesternradiusofthemunicipality.
IV. TheoreticalFramework:PublicParticipation
The sustainability of a particular project is attributed to a number of factors. Of these factors,
stakeholder participation takes primacy. Public participation, or stakeholder participation, seeks and
facilitates the involvement of those whose interests are affected. World Bank (2009) defines this
engagement as a process through which the public influence and share control over priority setting,
policymaking,resourceallocationsandaccesstopublicgoodandservice.BeierleandCayford(2002:6)
defines public participation as any of several mechanisms intentionally instituted to involve the lay
public or their representatives in decisionmaking. Generally, public participation is an umbrella term
thatencompassesdiversedefinitionsofwhothepublicis,howthepublicisrepresented,whythepublic
is involved, and what the public is involved in (Beierle & Cayford, 2002:7). At community level,
participationisconsideredoneofthemostessentialprinciplesinruraldevelopmentprojects.Theterm
participationisambiguousinthatitsmeaninghasbeeninterpretedanditspurposedefinedinavariety
of ways. Through the times, the approach had evolved from the traditional topdown to a bottomup
approach.
Participationmaymeandifferentthingfordifferentpeople.Someusesittomeanactiveparticipationin
political decision making. For activists, this means peoples involvement and control over decisions

concerning the organization to which they belong. For others, this is an instrument to enhance the
efficiencyofprojects.Somewouldregardparticipationasanendinitselfwhileothersseeitasameans
toachieveothergoals(Paul1987).
For purposes of this paper, we propose to define public participation as both of empowering and
mobilizationtypes7,vizaviz,anactiveprocessbywhichthecommunityanditsmembersinfluencethe
directionandexecutionofadevelopmentprojectwithaviewtoenhancingtheirwellbeingintermsof
income, personal growth or other values they cherish. This definition implies that the context of
participationisthedevelopmentprogramorproject.Furthermore,itmeansthatthefocusisonholistic
sectoral participation (beneficiaries and government personnel alike), and the trademark is
stakeholderscollaborativeinvolvement.Participationonlyoccurswhenpeopleactinconcerttoadvise,
decideoractonissueswhichcanbesolvedthroughsuchjointaction,hencetheuseofthequalifying
term community (Paul 1987). Moreover, public participation refers to a process, not a product, in a
sense of sharing project benefits. These definitions however should not be construed to mean that
publicorcommunityparticipationwillbeuniforminallcases(Paul1987).Fromaconceptualstandpoint,
it is always therefore useful to differentiate between the objectives, instruments, and intensity of a
particularprojectorprograminvolvingcommunityparticipation.
Following the discussion on community participation as a process, it serves the following objectives:
empowerment, capacity building, project effectiveness and project efficiency. By empowerment, the
public is expected to be able to initiate actions on their own and thus influence the processes and
outcomes of the development agenda. The sustainability of a project over a long time requires the
developmentofbeneficiarycapacity.Projecteffectivenessshouldalwaysbedistinguishedfromproject
efficiency.Whileeffectivenessreferstothedegreetowhichobjectivesareachievedandtheextentto
which targeted problems are resolved, efficiency, on the other hand, is an important factor of
productivityandoftentimesdeterminedinreferencetocosts.

V. StrategiesinMobilizingPublicSupport
Municipalwastemanagementisacomplexurbanenvironmentalissuethatrunsacrossvarioussectors
from households, communities, commercial entities and other local actors. Varied activities, lifestyle,
consumption patterns affect the quality and composition of waste. Implementation of a sound waste
management system calls for a multistakeholder involvement in every stage especially from the
primary sources of waste. Waste segregation at source and recycling had been mainstreamed in the
PhilippinessincetheimplementationofRA9003thathasbeenexpectednotonlytoreducetheamount
of waste transported for final disposal but also to improve the quality and composition of waste by
removing nonbiodegrable fragments. However, suasive approaches that calls for lifestyle change
requires intrinsic mobilization for public support. Santo Tomas municipalities strategies for mobilizing
publicsupportfortheimplementationoftheESWMprogrammearepresentedbelow:

Michener 1998 cited by Garande & Dagg 2005 typifies public participation as either empowering or mobilization.

5.1StrategicSolidWasteManagementPlanning
Strategic planning is a tool that allows decision makers to develop, organize and utilize a better
understanding of the environment in which it operates and the people and its own capabilities and
limitations.(Goodstenet.al,1993).Itisdesignedtomakelongtermplansgearedtowardsdevelopment
of vision and longterm roadmap and entails detailed consultations with key stakeholders. In Santo
Tomasmunicipality,strategicplanningwasthecoreapproachinthedesignoftheESWMprogrammefor
the entire municipality and individual barangays. Key issues concerning waste management in the
municipality had been laid down during the series of strategic planning workshops organized by the
municipal government of Santo Tomas. Main stakeholders including officials of the municipal
government, barangay and purok officials, representatives of academic institutions and private
companieshavecomeintodiscussionandidentifiedpracticalstrategiestoaddressthewasteissues.
Lack of appropriate waste management system and the absence of longterm goals are two the main
barriers identified in the strategic planning workshop. The discussion also highlighted the inadequate
administrative capacity of the municipal government as well as the lack of awareness and shared
responsibility of the people for waste management. While an appropriate disposal facility for the
municipality was identified as one of the urgent needs however, this requires technical and financial
provision.
AddressingtheseissuesresultedtotheformulationoftheESWMprogramofthemunicipalitybasedon
fourcorecomponentsnamelyeducation,enforcement,engineeringandentrepreneurship.Theopenof
strategicplanninghadbeenusefulinidentifyingthemainissues,needsandvisionsofthemunicipality
based on the perspective of all the key stakeholders. Leveling the issues and strategies in four
components,conveysaneasierunderstandingofthecriticalissuesandfindinganappropriatesolution.
Considering the limited institutional and administrative capacity of the municipal government, the
ESWMprogramwasalsodesignedtoadvocateacollectiveresponsibilityforwastemanagementamong
allactorsofthemunicipalityespeciallytheresidents.However,asthisrequiresdrasticchangeinlifestyle
and continuous education, socioeconomic incentives such as promotion of livelihood for recycling
activities were explored. As market opportunities are provided to recyclable materials, it ensures
sustainabilityforthepracticeandtheprogramaswholeasitclosestheloopofwastecycle.
5.2InstitutionalizeWasteEducationandAwareness
RealizingthatoneofthekeysolutionstoaneffectiveimplementationofESWMprogramistopromotea
collective responsibility for waste management, the municipal government started an intensive waste
management education and awareness campaign. Targeted capacity building through training and
workshops was initially conducted with the key implementers of the program including the municipal
andbarangayofficials.Followingthetraining,intensiveeducationcampaignspearheadedbytheESWM
Task Force and barangay officials, was conducted with the residents, communities, public sector and

schools. The campaign introduced the ESWM program of the municipality, related national and local
policiesonSWMandtheroleofeachsectorintheimplementationoftheprogramandpolicies.Waste
segregation at source, one of the important provisions of RA 9003 was also adopted by the ESWM
programwasintroducedduringtheawarenessandeducationcampaign.Themunicipalgovernmenthas
provided a classification of waste according to (1) recyclable (2) biodegradable, (3) residual and (4)
specialwaste.ThecompleteclassificationofwasteisprovidedinAnnex1.
ToensurethesustainabilityoftheESWMprogram,wasteeducationandawarenesswasmovedtobe
institutionalized. Thus, proactive policies were implemented to integrate waste education and
awarenesswithinthegovernmentalsystemandthisincludemandatorywastemanagementseminarto
allpeopleacquiringpubliccertificatesandpermits.Seminarortrainingfeeswerealsocollectedthereby
generatinganincomesourcefortheESWMprogram.
Primaryandsecondaryschoolsontheotherhandhaveincludedenvironmentaleducationintheschool
curricula as stipulated by the Department of Education. In support to the ESWM program, several
schools in Santo Tomas have initiated handson waste management activities such as art from waste
project,recyclingandcompostingtoenhancecreativityandenvironmentalawarenessofthestudents.
5.3StrengtheningAdministrativeCapacityforPolicyEnforcement:
The lack of administrative capacity is often cited as one of the gaps in policy or any governmental
program implementation. In the Philippines, local departments such as City Environment and Natural
ResourcesOffice(CENRO)forcitiesandMunicipalEnvironmentandNaturalResourcesOffice(MENRO)
are established to oversee environmental management including the provision of environmental
servicessuchSWM.However,onlyanumberoflocalgovernmentunits(LGUs)inthePhilippinesareable
to establish and support its own administrative environmental divisions. And the absence of a
permanentenvironmentalofficeisoneofthemainfactorsofanineffectiveimplementationofdevolved
functionslikemunicipalwastemanagement.
In Santo Tomas municipality, the ESWM Task Force was organized by the municipal government to
ensurethattheESWMprogramandordinanceisimplemented.Thisofficeistaskedtooverseethemain
activities in municipal waste management from collection, transportation, storage, waste recovery to
final disposal. Strategic waste management trainings and environmental awareness seminars are
conductedbythisofficethatstartedwiththecommunitiesinthemunicipality.Recentlyhowever,the
office has expanded their training services to neighboring cities and municipalities in the Mindanao
regionthuspromotingthereplicationoftheirpracticetootherareas.
5.4CommunityEmpowermentandProvisionofSubsidies
One of the pillars of the ESWM program in Santo Tomas municipality is the involvement of all
communitiesintheoperationoftheprogram.Mainstreamingwastesegregationatsourceinalllevels
especiallyinhouseholdsandcommunitieshadbeenpossiblethroughcontinuouswasteeducationand
awareness campaign. Collection system was also established in each community to guarantee
convenience and efficient collection of waste and also to reach far flung communities in the

municipality. Recycling practices like backyard composting have escalated and incited environmental
consciousness.
Asopposetopilotor demonstrationmethodof communitybasedSWM programthatfocusesonly to
one community or small number of population, the municipal government opted to implement the
ESWMprogramthatisinclusivetoall ofits19barangays.Eachbarangayconductedastrategic waste
management plan and implemented barangay ordinances as a framework of their initiatives. No
segregation,nocollectionofwasteordinanceismostcommontoallbarangays.
To achieve the support of the communities and community leaders, the municipal government had
comeupwithstrategiestoencouragecommunityleaderstoimplementtheESWMprogrammewithin
theirrespectiveareas.Intheformofdevelopmentsubsidies,themunicipalgovernmentprovidedfunds
forcommunitydevelopmentprojectsforbarangayswithexceptionalachievementsinimplementingthe
ESWMprogramme.AnannualsearchforModelBarangaysandPuroks,isconductedbythemunicipal
government to assess the status of each community with regards to their waste management.
Innovative environmental practices, community participation and the overall aesthetic environmental
conditionofthecommunitiesareassessed.
VI. Findings:
Thesurveyconductedintwobaragays;(1)Bobongonand(2)Pantaronpresentsthewastemanagement
practices such as waste segregation, recycling, disposal and collection system at the household and
communitylevel.ThefeaturesofthepreviousSWMsystemofthemunicipalgovernmentpriortothe
ESWM programme had been assessed based from the perception and evaluation of the communities
and residents. Socioeconomic benefits such as livelihood and income generation from the current
waste management practices and activities were also explored. And finally, the impact of the ESWM
programmeonthetotalwastegenerationassessed.
6.1WasteSegregation
The result of the survey indicates the unanimous affirmation of all the respondents that atsource
segregation is indeed practiced by all households in the municipality. Although waste segregation
practice introduced through the ESWM programme merely less than five years, the practice was
successfully integrated in the entire municipality. The intensive information and education campaign
wasproveneffectiveastheseresidentshavealsoclearlyshowedthattheyareabletocategorizetheir
waste generation according to the categories or specifications provided to them by their community
leadersasto(1)recyclables,(2)residuals,(3)specialwasteand(4)compostable.Thecompletelistof
wastecharacterizationisgiveninAnnex2.
6.2DisposalandCollection
Thedisposalandcollectionsysteminthemunicipalityhavealsoimprovedbydevelopingcollectionareas
around the communities. Currently, there are about 289 collection areas and 127 materials recovery
facilities(MRF)thatareutilizedasstorageandpickuppoints.Andbecauseofthewidespreadpractice

of waste segregation at source, the number of waste collection trips of the municipal government
substantially decreased. This outcome is due to the reduced amount of waste generated by each
household from the residuals and nonrecyclable materials. Organic waste and recyclable wastes are
both handled by each household through composting of organic waste and reuse and selling of
recyclable wastes. The figure 2 below presents the frequency of waste collection according to the
residentswhere63percentclaimedthattheirwastesarecollectedonceamonth.

70.00
60.00
50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
Once a Week

Twice a Week Once a Month Twice a Month Not Collected

Figure 2. Frequency of Waste Collection in Communities of Santo Tomas Municipality (Source:

HouseholdSurvey2008).
Among the major changes in waste management system was the designation of collection points or
pickupstationswhich80%oftherespondentsclaimed.About,96%oftherespondentsagreedthatthe
collectionpointsareconvenientandhelpfulforthemespeciallythosethatarelocatedinremoteareas.
Consequently,theserespondentshaveclaimedthattheyaresatisfiedwiththecollectionservicethatis
renderedtotheircommunity.
6.3Recycling
The practice of waste segregation became a catalyst for residents or households to adopt recycling
activitieslikebackyardcompostingofwhich82%oftherespondentsstatedtopractice.Approximately
tenkilosofcompostproductisproducedbythesehouseholdseverymonthtowhichtheyuseforhome
gardening.
Thesurveyalsoshowsthatapproximately0.5kilosofrecyclablewasteisgeneratedbyeachhousehold
everymonth.Tincans,PETandglassbottlesandcellophanesmakeupmostofthegeneratedrecyclable
wastes. 95% of the respondents confirmed to sell these materials to itinerant waste buyers that rove
aroundthecommunitieswhiletheother5%claimedtostoreandreusethesematerialsforfutureuse.
6.4Awarenessandinformation
The intensive information and awareness campaign that the municipal government conducted was
proven effective not only in obtaining the support of the people for the ESWM programme
implementation but by indoctrinating the important role that each individual play in managing solid

waste. From the survey, a unanimous declaration was gathered from all the respondents of their
awarenessonRA9003aswellasthelocalordinanceonESWM.Partoftheinformationalsoincludesthe
significance of waste segregation at source and the underlying penalties and fines on the violation of
ordinance. These important policies were introduced to them by the municipal government and
communityleadersthroughseminars,trainingsandcommunitymeetings.Thetablebelowpresentsthe
list of activities identified by the respondents that were conducted by municipal government and
barangayleaderstopromoteSWMawareness.
Activities

Percent

Housetohouse distribution of SWM information leaftlets that include

scheduleofhaulingandwastesegregation
29.76

IncludeSWMissuesduringBarangayMeeting

65.48

Throughseminarsandorientations

75

Barangaymonitoringandevaluationbythemunicipality

5.95

Table1:IdentifiedSWMAwarenessActivities(HouseholdSurvey2008)
6.5PublicPerception:
Public perception was also drawn to assess the effectiveness of the ESWM programme and the new
SWMsystemthatthemunicipalgovernmentimplemented.Responsesfromthesurveyrevealthat72%
ofthepeopleinSto.TomasbelievethatthecurrentSWMsystem,fromsegregation,storage,collection
todisposal,isefficient.Participationoftheresidentsespeciallyinsegregatingindividualwasteinfluence
the current clean state of the communities and other public areas in the municipality. The efficient
collectionsystemandallocationofpickuppointswerealsoidentifiedasoneoftheimportantfactors
fortheimprovedaestheticconditionofthemunicipality.Therespondentsalsorecognizedtheeffortof
themunicipalgovernmentasperiodicalevaluationisconductedwhichineffectencouragedthepeople
and community leaders to support the ESWM programme. Overall, the respondents of the survey
agreedthatthecurrentSWMsystemandESWMprogrammeofthemunicipalgovernmentiseffective
andefficient.
6.6Incomegenerationfromwastesegregation
ThepracticeofhouseholdwastesegregationinSantoTomasmunicipalityhasopenedopportunitiesfor
residents to generate additional household income. Itinerant buyers of recyclable waste, common to
manycitiesandmunicipalitiesinthePhilippines,haveincreasedsincetheimplementationoftheESWM
program. These itinerant buyers directly purchase and collect recyclable wastes from households and
even agroindustrial companies. The wastes collected are sold again to junk shops and are brought
finallytolargescalerecyclingcompanies.

Accordingtothesurveyconducted,majority(88%)oftheresidentsearnabout20PHP(0.50USD)from
sellingrecyclablewasteswhiletheremaining10%earns2050PHP(0.501.00USD)andothers(2%)earn
100PHP(2.00USD)andabove.Figure3belowpresentstheincomegeneratedbytheresidents.

2%

10%

Lessthan20pesos

2050pesos
100above

88%

Figure3:HouseholdIncomeGenerationfromRecyclableWaste(Source:HouseholdSurvey2008)
The income generated from the sale of recyclable wastes significantly contributes to household
expensesoftheresidents.Majorityoftherespondentsidentifiedtheirextraearningsasanimportant
additioninsecuringfoodexpenseswhileothersutilizethemoneyformedicines,schoolmaterialsand
otherhouseholdneeds.
6.7MunicipalESWMIncomeGeneration:
Similarly, the implementation of the ESWM programme created additional income generation for the
municipal government. Earnings from the SWM ordinance implementation including SWM charges of
the issuance of clearance, permits and other public documents and garbage collection fees from
commercial sector has reached 798,276 PHP (16,500 USD) in 2006. The success of the ESWM
programme also opened the opportunity for the municipal government to demonstrate the practices
andsuccessfulstrategiesthattheyadoptedtoneighboringmunicipalitiesandcitieswithintheirregion.
Thus,atrainingseminarpackageamountingtoaminimumof10,000PHP(200USD)ischargedtoanon
site training and seminar to cities, municipalities, barangays and even academic institutions who are
interestedinreplicatingtheESWMprogramme.Importantdocumentsoftheprogrammeincludingthe
municipal and barangay ordinances, methods and samples of environmental strategic plans and
recyclingandcompostingmethodsarepreparedintheESWMTookKit.Thistoolkitcouldbeobtained
for the price of 500PHP (10 USD) per kit. In 2007, the total income generation of the municipal
government has reached to 579,386 PHP (12,000 USD) while in 2008 the total earnings reached to
1,020,847 PHP (21,000 USD). Table 2 presents the breakdown of the ESWM income generation from
2007to2008.
Table2.BreakdownofESWMAnnualIncome
Particulars

2007(PHP)

2008(PHP)

SeminarPackage
ESWMKit
ESWMImplementation(clearance,collectionfee,environmentalfee)
Total
Source:OfficeoftheMunicipalTreasurer,Sto.TomasMunicipality

21,000
558,386
579,386

63,500
102,857
854,490
1,020,847

The income generated from ESWM activities is placed under the general trust fund of the municipal
government and are utilized to support activities of the ESWM task force that are not allocated from
annualbudget.
6.8Environmental
PriortotheESWMprogramme,themunicipalityofSantoTomaswassaidtobegeneratinganaverageof
368tonsofwaste.Alargeportionofthiswaste,about77%,includesagroindustrialorganicwastefrom
banana and rice plantations which the municipal government used to collect and dispose directly to
thenopendumpsitemunicipalfacility.
The amount of waste generated has significantly decreased after the ESWM implementation in 2003.
From368tonstheestimatedwastegenerationdroppedto20.36tonsin2004,20.77tonsin2005,21.31
tonsin2006and22.59tonsin2007respectively.Atanaverage,75%decreaseinwastegenerationhas
beenachievedbythemunicipalitywithinthespanoffouryears.Figure4showstheestimatedtrendof
wastegenerationinSantoTomasMunicipalityfrom2003to2007.

85
80
75
70
65
60
Estimated 55
50
Waste
45
40
Generation 35
30
(tons)
25
20
15
10
5
0
Before2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Figure4:EstimatedWasteGenerationinSantoTomas20032007(Source:ESWMTaskForce,Sto.Tomas
Municipality).
Out of the total waste generation of the municipality, 51% is comprised of organic or compostable
materials, 28% recyclable materials, 11% nonrecyclable materials and 10% special wastes. Under the
ESWMprogram,organicwastesfrommarketorcommercialareasarecollectedandprocessedthrough
windrowcompostingwhileorganicwastesfromhouseholdsareeithercompostedordepositedinMRF
located in the market area. While nonrecyclable and special wastes are directly collected from
households, commercial and other sources and recyclable wastes are segregated and handled by the
source. The large fraction of organic and recyclable wastes lead to significant decrease in the total

volumeofwastetranssportedandd
disposedinthefinaldispo
osalsite.From
m2004to20
007,anaveraageof
owstheestim
mated
45%ofwaaste,bothorgganicandreccyclablesisdiivertedintheemunicipalityy.Figure5sho
volumeoffwastedispo
osedanddivertedintheM
Municipalityfrrom2004to2
2007.

10
00
8
80
6
60
WassteDiverted(to
ons)

4
40

2
20
0
Before
e
2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Estim
matedWaste
Disp
posed(tons)

Figure5: EstimatedVo
olumeofWassteDisposed andDiverted
dinSto.TomaasMunicipaliity(Source:EESWM
TaskForcee,SantoTom
masMunicipality).
VII. Discussion
Thesignifficantdecreasseinwastegenerationfro
om368tons in2003to20
0.36in2004aasshowninFFigure
4 is attrib
buted to the removal of agroindustria
a
al waste com
mprised mainly of organicc compounds from
banana and rice planttations. Howeever, the con
ntinuous efforts of the mu
unicipal goveernment to reeduce
wastegen
nerationisap
pparentfrom2004,afterttheinaugurattionoftheESSWMprogram
mme,asthe trend
of the annual waste
e generation has reached a constan
nt point with 3.5% annual increase. The
populationgrrowthatanaverageof2%
%isoneoftheefactorsforthecontinuou
usrise
municipallitysannualp
inwasteggeneration.
Theintegrationofwasstesegregatio
onatsourceaandrecyclinggintotheESW
WMprogram isalsonotab
blefor
hemunicipality.InFigure5
5,the
thedecreeaseinthetottalvolumeoffwastetransportedanddisposedbyth
distributio
onofthewastediverted andtheestim
matedvolum
meofwasted
disposedare presented. From
2004to2
2007,themun
nicipalgovern
nmenthasbeeendisposingganaverageo
of12tonnes ofwasteowingto
the45%d
diversionrate
ethatithasachieved.Thissresulthasreelativelylargeeimpactontheenvironmeentin
generalparticularlyon
nthefinaldissposalsiteas itreduceslandrequiremeentforsolidw
wastestorageand
disposalaandultimatelyyprotectsgro
oundwateran
ndsoilpollution.
In additio
on, waste diversion rates closely reflecct the attitud
de of people to waste and
d recycling. This
T is
affirmedb
bytheunanim
mousdeclaraationofthesu
urveyrespondentsofthe widespreadiimplementatiionof
waste seggregation at source in th
he municipality. While thee practice off segregation
n has substan
ntially
benefited
d the environ
nment, it haas as well brrought additiional househ
hold income from the saale of
recyclableematerialsge
eneratedby eachhouseholdaspresen
ntedinFiguree3.Despitetthemeagerp
profit,
with 88%
% earning lesss than 20 PHP every mon
nth, majority of the respo
ondents havee claimed thaat this

amount is an important addition to household income as it is utilized for medicines, school materials
andotherhouseholdneeds.
The increase in recyclingrelated activities such as backyard composting is also relative to waste
segregation practice. The survey reveals that 82% of households in municipality practice backyard
compostingandproducesabout0.5kilosofcompostproductseverymonththatisutilizedforbackyard
gardening and community landscape. This has relevant effect to sanitation and overall aesthetic
environmental improvements in the communities. Similarly, the municipal government has also
reported that there has been an increase in the number of small scale recycling businesses from 2 in
2005 to 8 in 2007 as well as itinerant waste buyers that collect recyclable wastes directly from
households,commercialareasandagroindustrialcompanieshaveincreasedinnumberfrom12in2005
toabout100in2007.TwolargescalerecyclingcompanieshavebeenrecentlyestablishedintheSanto
Tomasthatcaterstopolyethyleneplastics.
The good response of the people of Santo Tomas municipality on the implementation of the ESWM
programisoneofthedrivingforcesforitssuccess.Basedfromtheperceptionandassessmentofthe
public,72%ofthepeoplebelievethatthecurrentSWMsystemappliedinthemunicipalityisefficient.
Changesinthesystemparticularlyonstorageandcollectionaredeemedtobeefficientandconvenient
forthepeopleespeciallyinareasthatareinaccessible.Consideringtherelativedecreaseinthewaste
generatedbyeachhouseholdasaresultofrecyclingandsegregation,wastecollectionscheduleforeach
communityhasalsoreducedtoonceamonthduetothesmallvolumeofwastecollectedaveragingto5
kilosamonthforeveryhousehold.
Thecontinuouscampaignforwasteeducationandawarenessbythemunicipalgovernmenthaslargely
influencedtheperspectiveofthepeopletowardswastemanagement.Theresultofthesurveyconfirms
thatthroughtheintensivewastecampaignofthemunicipalgovernmentandthebarangayleaders,that
thenationalandlocalpoliciesofthegovernmentonwastemanagementhavebeenintroducedtothem.
Ithighlightedforemosttheroleofeachindividualinwastemanagementparticularlytheimportanceof
waste segregation at source. Through the regular barangay meetings, consistent monitoring and
evaluation of waste practices are made. While at the municipal level, the continuous seminar
orientationconductedbytheESWMTaskForceisusefulinsustainingwasteeducationandawareness
campaigntooldandnewresidents.
Thesuccess oftheESWMprogramof SantoTomashasearnedthe municipalgovernmentrecognition
for its implementation of RA 9003. And for this reason, has attracted neighboring communities,
municipalities,citiesandorganizationsthatseektolearnthestrategiesthatthemunicipalgovernment
adoptedforitsESWMprogramme.Thisavenueforreplicationhasthenopenedincomeopportunitiesof
themunicipalgovernment;in2007themunicipalityhasearnedabout579,386PHPto1,020,847in2008
for sharing lessons learned and transferable strategies through seminar packages for strategic SWM
planning,saleofESWMkitsorinformationonESWMprogramme,environmentalfeesfortouristsand
municipalclearances.
VIII. Conclusion

ThesuccessfulimplementationoftheESWMprograminSantoTomasillustratesthevalueofacollective
public action to meaningfully achieve an effective waste management system. The nonconventional
approach of the municipality in SWM correctly emphasized multisectoral partnerships and socio
economicconcernsofthepeopleespeciallyforthecityspoorandmarginalized.Thus,positivegainson
environmental improvements have been achieved and have empowered its citizens. Multisectoral

commitmentandcooperationarewithoutdoubtnecessaryforthenewapproachtosucceed.
Theinnovativestrategiesofthemunicipalgovernmentespeciallyinadoptingstrategicplanningtoolfor
the development of ESWM programme for each barangay and the municipality in general had been
effective in determining practicable solutions to address waste generation and an avenue for
stakeholderstogetinvolvedinthedecisionmakingprocess.Theapproachfollowstheleadtoservethe
broaderinterestofthepublicratherthanpromotingselfgains.Similarly,theprovisionofdevelopment
incentives for the programme implementers has been fixed to promote winwin scenario for the
communities and its residents. While the move to institutionalize waste awareness and education
affirmsthebrightprospectforasustainableSWMinSantoTomas.

ANNEX

ClassificationofWasteofSantoTomasMunicipality

Classification
Waste
Biodegradable
FoodandKitchenWaste
AnimalWaste
Papers
BackyardWaste
Recyclables
GlassBottles
Plastics(alltypes)
Papers
Aluminumbottlecaps
Metals
Tincans
Residual
Foil
Straw
Cloth
Brokenglassbottles
Brokenceramics
Cigarettebutts
Foodwrappers
Rubber
Special
Lightbulbs
Chemicalwaste
Hospitalwaste
Funeralparlorwaste
Styrofoam
UsedOil
Usedbattey
Sanitarywaste(diapers,napkinsetc)

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