Waste Management

• Waste


  Useless by-product of human activities which physically contains the same substance that are available in the useful product
• Waste


  Materials that people would want to dispose of even when payments are required for their disposal

  
• Waste is an essential product of human activities, but it is also the result of inefficient production processes whose continuous generation is a loss of vital resources
• A substance regarded as a waste to one individual, may be a resource to another
• A material can only be regarded as a waste when the owner labels it as such
• Classification of Wastes


  • Physical state (solid, liquid, gaseous)
  • Environmental impact (hazardous, non-hazardous)
  • Source

  
• Sources of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)


  • Residential
  • Industrial
  • Commercial
  • Institutional
  • Construction and Demolition
  • Municipal Services

  
• The World Bank estimates that solid waste being produced by Philippine cities will go up by 165 percent to 77,776 tons per day from 29,315 tons as a consequence of a projected 47.3-percent hike in urban population by 2025 and a projected doubling of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation per capita at 0.9 kilogram per day by 2025 from the current 0.5 kilogram, presenting a direct correlation between the per capita level of income in cities and the amount of waste per capita that is generated

  
• Republic Act (RA) 9003


  Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000

  
• RA 9003 describes solid waste management as a discipline associated with the control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid wastes

  
• The manner by which these activities are conducted shall be in accord with the best principles of public health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics, other environmental considerations, and public attitudes
• RA 9003 provides for a comprehensive ecological solid waste management program by creating the necessary institutional mechanisms and incentives, appropriating funds, declaring certain acts prohibited, and providing penalties

  
• Waste Management Hierarchy


  • Avoidance, reduction, and reuse
  • Segregation at source
  • Segregated collection
  • Recovery and processing
  • Disposal

  
• Avoidance, reduction, and reuse


  • Most preferred option; the ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of materials entering the waste stream
  • Achieving this goal involves product reuse, increased product durability, reduced material use in production and decreased consumption
  • Behavioral change is deemed necessary as lifestyle demands often favor convenience over conservation with minimal regard for long-term environmental consequences

  
• Segregation at source


  • Segregation and collection of solid waste shall be conducted at the barangay level specifically for biodegradable, compostable and reusable wastes

  
• Segregated collection


  • Collection is the act of removing solid waste from the source or from a communal storage point. It is regarded as potentially the most expensive of the functional elements of SWM

  
• Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)


  • Establishment of an MRF in every barangay or cluster of barangays in barangay-owned, leased land or any suitable open space designated by the barangay
  • Shall be designed to receive, sort, process and store compostable and recyclable material efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner
  • Any resulting residual waste shall be transferred to a proper disposal facility

  
• Composting


  • Biological decomposition of biodegradable solid waste under controlled predominantly aerobic conditions to a state that is sufficiently stable for nuisance-free storage and handling and is satisfactorily matured for safe use in agriculture
  • Typical small-scale composting in the Philippines is done in compost pits, tire towers, coconut shell stack, bottomless bins, clay pots and plastic sacks
  • Large-scale composting is done in windrows, in-vessel, and through vermi or worm composting
  • Could reduce the weight of organic waste by 50% or more and vermicomposting by 70-80%, the latter capable of turning biodegradables into a high-quality vermicompost product

  
• Recycling


  • This law offers guidelines on the establishment and operation of buy-back centers and MRFs and provides for an inventory of markets and eco-labelling of recyclables
  • Recycling may either be a component of an MRF or established as a stand-alone processing facility
  • Recyclables, particularly those with high commercial value such as paper, scrap metals and plastics are typically sold to junk dealers, consolidators and recyclers
• Disposal


  • Waste disposal refers to the discharge, deposit, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any solid waste into or in any land while disposal sites refer to areas where solid waste is finally discharged and deposited
  • It is regarded as the least preferred method of managing solid waste although it plays an important role in dealing with residual waste

  
• Open and controlled dumpsites


  • RA 9003 prohibits the establishment and operation of open dumps or any practice or disposal involving the use of open dumps
  • Open dumps, however, were allowed to be converted into controlled dumps only until 2006 as a temporary and remedial measure
• Sanitary landfills


  • A sanitary landfill (SLF) refers to a waste disposal site designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a manner that exerts engineering control over significant potential environmental impacts arising from the development and operation of the facility
• Clustered landfills


  • Clustering is an option in which small LGUs can pool their resources into setting up a common solid waste disposal facility
  • It also enables them to attain large economies of scale and reduce the cost per unit of solid waste disposal
• Republic Act (RA) 6969


  Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990
• Types of Hazardous Wastes


  • Nuclear or Radioactive Wastes
  • Infectious Waste
  • Pathological Wastes
  • Pharmaceutical Waste
  • Chemical Wastes
• Health care wastes come from hospitals, clinics, biomedical laboratories, drug manufacturers, medical research centers, mortuary, ambulance, home treatment, and cosmetic and tattoo parlors
• Health Care Waste Hierarchy


  • Source reduction
  • Recycling
  • Treatment
  • Residuals disposal

  
• The 7RS Golden Rule


  • Regulation
  • Reducing
  • Reusing
  • Recycling
  • Recovering
  • Rethinking
  • Renovation