Improper Waste Disposal

Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning. I’m Riana Alynna Tuzon, your host for

today's panel discussion. We are here to witness a panel discussion about a

environmental issue, Improper Waste Disposal in the Philippines.

Improper waste disposal is one of the biggest environmental issues here in the

Philippines. It caused bigger problems that affect not only the environment but also

the health and life of the people. This problem may be resolve or it will remain

problem to the country in the next few years. Mismanagement of the waste

disposal has a serious effect on ground and surface water contamination, flooding,

air pollution, water pollution etc. People will suffer in the next years of existence if

we continue this kind of activity. Health security maybe not secured or guarded

when it comes to drinking contaminated water because of the improper disposal of

the waste.

To discuss about this issue, now, let us welcome our panel list. Let us welcome, the

first in our panel, Ms. Rodelyn Blaza. Ms. Danica Baraoil. Mr. Rizlee Peralta. Mr.

Fermin Bernal. Ms. Rose Mae Janer. Ms. Jasmin Paz. And Mr. Carl Apolinar.

Good Morning to all of you (Panel).

We have only one main and ending question and that question is “Can we stop of

solve our number one environmental issue which is the Improper Waste Disposal
here in the Philippines? And How?” But before we answer that question, let us

discuss and answer first the other questions. The main question will be answered

later on. Now let's proceed and discuss the other question.

• What is Improper Wastes Disposal? What are your thoughts, ideas or opinions

about it?

• What do you think are the causes or reasons of Improper Waste Disposal?

• For you, what are the effects of Improper Waste Disposal? Not only here in the

Philippines but also Globally.

• Can we stop or solve this issue? How?

Thank you for your wonderful answers our panel list. Thank you for being here

today. So, we heard every thought, ideas, and opinions of the sides of our panel

list. To sum it all, Improper Waste Disposal is one of the contemporary issues here

in the Philippines for years. Yes, we can stop or solve Improper Waste Disposal

but it depends if you help one another and start now or start later to have a clean

and better environment. Youth must work together to decide on the steps on

working on a better economic reality for tomorrow. We cannot do things on our

own. We will need each other to create a big impact to the world. It is never easy

to strive a difference as a whole but remember that it all starts with a single step

together. So what are you waiting for, stop improper disposal. And we do the
Reduce, Reused, Recycle for the betterment of our country. Thank you for

listening and Good morning.

IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL IN

THE PHILIPPINES

What is Improper Waste Disposal?

Improper waste disposal is one of the biggest environmental issues here in the
Philippines. It caused bigger problems that affect not only the environment but also
the health and life of the people. This problem may be resolve or it will remain
problem to the country in the next few years. Mismanagement of the waste
disposal has a serious effect on ground and surface water contamination, flooding,
air pollution, water pollution etc. People will suffer in the next years of existence if
we continue this kind of activity. Health security maybe not secured or guarded
when it co1mes to drinking contaminated water because of the improper disposal
of the waste.
RA 9003 was passed by the Philippine Congress on December 20, 2000 and was
subsequently approved by the Office of the President on January 26, 2001. This law
was crafted response to the growing rate of garbage problems in the country.
Although there is a law about mismanagement of waste disposal Philippines ranked
the 3rd top source of plastic leaking into oceans in a February 2015 study. The
country generates 2.7 million metric tons of plastic garbage each year, 20% or
521,000 tons of which ends up in the ocean. Based on interviews with local
government officials and environmental groups, the study found that waste leakage
in the Philippines often happens while the garbage is transported from the collection
site specifically from households, village material recovery facilities to the dump
sites. The country’s open dump sites are one of the major reasons why waste product
or waste materials leaked to the waterways that’s why water became affected and
get contaminated. Usually, improper waste disposal occurs in urban cities like
country’s capital city Manila. Metro Manila produces a fourth of Philippine garbage.
According to Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR)
“Residents are responsible for one-fourth of the country’s daily solid waste.” A
single resident can produce an average of 0.7 kilogram waste per day which can
affect the cities garbage rate. Half of the garbage from Metro Manila is
biodegradable waste such as food scraps, leftovers, and animal carcasses. About 17
percent are paper while 16 percent are plastics. The rest are discarded metal,
ceramics, rubber, and leather.

Uncollected trash that clog waterways and drainage systems is one of the major
causes of floods and disease outbreaks whose effects could be felt beyond the capital.
Government should have time to make a study in this country’s problem, they must
have plans and actions to make sure that people, animals and our environment is safe
and guarded all through out. People are also responsible for their own trash to put it
in proper waste for their own sake.

Waste refers to the range of garbage arising from animal and human
activities that are discarded as unwanted and useless. Solid waste is generated from
industrial residential and commercial activities in a given area, and may be handled
in a variety of ways. As such, landfills are typically classified as sanitary,
municipal, construction and demolition or industrial waste sites.

Waste can be categorized based on material, such as plastic, paper, glass, metal,
and organic waste. Categorization may also be based on hazard potential, including
radioactive, flammable, infectious, toxic, or non-toxic. Categories may also pertain
to the origin of waste, such as industrial, domestic, commercial, institutional or
construction and demolition.

Regardless of the origin, content or hazard potential, solid waste must be managed
systematically to ensure environmental best practices. As solid waste management
is a critical aspect of environmental hygiene, it needs to be incorporated into
environmental planning.
Solid waste damps are seriously spoiling the environmental conditions in
developing countries. Negative environmental impacts from improper solid waste
dumping can be easily observed everywhere in the developing world. Due to a lack
of proper planning and funding, the solid waste management scenario is becoming
worse day by day. To highlight the main causes of improper solid waste
management in developing countries, Rawalpindi city is selected as a case study.
Philippines is facing miserable solid waste management crises due to rapid
industrialization, urbanization and insufficient funding. Improper solid waste
dumps are spreading different diseases in the study area. It is investigated during
the research that due to rapid growth in population, increments in solid waste
generation rate, management deficiencies, lack of legislative implementation and
funding, the solid waste management systems of Philippines are not working
effectively.
Removing and destroying or storing damaged, used or other unwanted
domestic, agricultural or industrial products and substances. Disposal includes
burning, burial at landfill sites or at sea, and recycling.

The causes of Improper Waste Disposal in the Philippines

The causes of waste disposal problems are mainly due to lack of space, disp
osing of wastehas huge environmental impacts and causes serious problems. Toxic
waste materials cancontaminate surface water, ground water, soil and air which cau
ses more problems forhumans, animals and the ecosystems as a whole. Waste treat
ment and disposal producessignificant greenhouse gas emissions likewise, notably
methane, which is contributingsignificantly to global climate change. Poor waste m
anagement can have environmentaleffects, economic effects and social effects. It c
an also cause harm to people and animals thatdrink from polluted water.According
a study conducted

The Effects of Improper Waste Disposal

1. HEALTH

Lung diseases, heart problems, skin irritation, problem or abnormality in breathing, and more are
examples of diseases due to pollution caused by improper waste disposal.
2. COASTAL AND MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Dangerous wastes if dumped into the environment leeches the ground and the ground water
where some communities get their drinking water. In marine environment, improper waste
disposal kills aquatic animals due to the excretion of chemicals.

3. CLIMATE

As some waste decomposes, it releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere – trapping of heat
affecting weather condition.

4. AIR POLLUTION

It was caused open burning of waste (e.g. rubber and plastic). It produced methane gas which is
one of the main components of landfill gas and much more effective than carbon dioxide as a
greenhouse gas.

5. SOIL CONTAMINATION

It is causes by presence of man-made chemicals (e.g. petroleum hydrocarbons, solvents,

pesticides, lead and etc.), leaching of wastes from landfills or incorrect disposal of industrial
wastes. It is observable by the softness of the ground, having smelly soil vapour, and other
alteration in the natural soil environment.

Solutions to reduce Improper Waste Disposal here in the Philippines

When you are looking for solutions for waste disposal, there are a lot of different things that you can do.
It really depends on what kind of waste you are trying to dispose, and there are going to be different
ways to do so based on what it is you are getting rid of. For example, there are different solutions for
home waste disposal as opposed to medical waste disposal or industrial waste disposal. Here are some
solutions to home waste disposal.

Compost Your Waste

Composting waste is an option for getting rid of your household waste. You can compost lots of
items: food waste, animal waste, yard waste, and much more. Basically, anything that is organic
can be composted and will break down into rich compost that can be used for a variety of things.
For example, people use their compost for fertilizer for their lawns and plants. Be sure that if you
are going to compost, you build a compost bin because it is a process that does take some time.

We are all responsible for the wastes that we generate at home, in school, at work, in the community
and in the world. It could have been better if we all know how to properly dispose our wastes
because too much production of wastes may lead from minor to serious problems. Of course,
nobody wants to suffer from uncontrolled and improper waste disposal.

As a responsible citizen, we must learn how to control the enormous increase of collecting waste
from various establishments and homes in the community. Is it possible to minimize the production
of waste? Yes, if everybody will cooperate and give this matter a real concern.

Recycling

Recycling waste is another option for getting rid of waste. There are many different things that
are recyclable: paper, tin, aluminum, plastic, and much more. A lot of people aren't aware of all
the different things that they can recycle, and many do the obvious, which is paper and
aluminum. If you are using a trash service company, ask them if they can help you set up the
recycling bins. You can also find a recycling center that is near you and drop the waste off. This
is an economical way of reducing waste and eliminating waste problems in the community. Reuse
your waste and learn how to recycle them. It will surely decrease your garbage collection.

 Landfill monitoring

If there are landfills that do not operate properly, then they must be monitored. There must be a strict
implementation of the rules and regulations regarding the operation of landfills.

 Thermal Waste Treatments

It could have been better if there would be a more advanced ways or techniques regarding the
treatment of thermal waste because the emission of toxic waste and other chemicals lead to a real
environmental and health issue.