University of the Philippines

College of Science

Waste Disposal

By:
Ruby Ann C. Iglesia
INTRODUCTION

Waste Disposal is the human control of the collection, treatment

and disposal of wastes. Proper waste disposal must be
observed in order to reduce the negative impacts waste has on
environment and society.
Production of waste is directly linked to the human
development, both technologically and socially. The composition
of different wastes has varied over time and location. Industrial
development and innovation today is being directly linked to
waste materials. Many different types of waste have negative
impacts on the environment such as pollution on land, air and
water. Generation and improper disposal of chemical wastes
coming from the hospitals, laboratories, factories and even
geothermal plants makes the environment vulnerable and
society unstable.
SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL
The increasing and non-stop generation of solid waste
brought about by economic development and rapid
urbanization is one of the major problems of the
country particularly in Metro Manila area. The problem
of today’s solid waste, if improperly handled, carries
implications not only for our environment but also for
the health and well being of future generations. When
waste ends up where it is not supposed to be, it
becomes useless, causes pollution, and poses health
risks. When it is used and put in the right place, it
becomes a valuable resource.
Facts and Figures:

 Philippines generates more than 10,000 tons of solid wastes

per day
 Metropolitan Manila accounts for more than 50% of the total
wastes or 5,800 tons/day
 Per capita estimates range from 0.30 to 0.70 kg/day,
depending on whether the estimate refers to selected residential
areas or all sources of wastes.
An average Filipino generates 0.3 and 0.5 kg (rural and urban
areas, respectively) of solid waste daily
National Capital Region accounts for 23 percent of the total
solid waste generated in the country annually.
Makati City: per capita waste generation of 0.71 kg.
 Composition of the Solid Waste in Metro Manila (2005)

food and kitchen waste

paper waste
plastic
glass and wood
others

Total solid waste generated by the LGUs

biodegradable
recyclable
special waste
residual waste
The problem…
Waste segregation at the household level is not widely
practiced, waste recycling is minimal, and past efforts to
promote waste segregation at source have failed despite the
issuance of penalties for non-compliance

Reasons: indifference of local residents to participate in

community waste management-related activities

: residents’ attitude that government has the sole

responsibility over garbage management

: lack of information and education campaigns

: (government) to address the garbage crisis (in Metro

Manila) and improve overall solid waste management is by
mandating households and other waste generators to segregate
at source in order to reduce the wastes collected and disposed
Waste Disposal on Bodies of Water

Water Pollution is one of the major effects of

improper waste disposal in bodies of water. The wastes thrown
in water usually contained harmful chemicals like those coming
from factories, plants and oil companies. The destructive effect
of wastes on water also affects the physical look of the bodies
of water; and marine products are unsafe to eat, people who
will ingest polluted water will become ill or worst, may develop
cancers or bear children with birth defects if the woman
happened to be pregnant a time of intake. Moreover, there
could also be a thermal pollution which can accelerate
biological processes in plants and animals or deplete oxygen
levels in water.
Methods of Waste Disposal

Waste segregation (separating plastic,

paper, food scraps and so on), is not widely
practiced and recycling of the materials, except
though informal door-to-door entrepreneurs, is
minimal. Landfill sites are so poorly maintained that
they pose health and safety hazards; as a result, two
key sites were recently closed. Incineration is
prohibited by law. Open dumping is now the most
common disposal method – a situation that itself
threatens public health.
Sanitary landfill

Disposing of waste in a landfill involves burying waste to

dispose of it, and this remains a common practice in most
countries. Landfills were often established in disused quarries,
mining voids or borrow pits. A properly-designed and well-
managed landfill can be a hygienic and relatively inexpensive
method of disposing of waste materials. Older, poorly-designed or
poorly-managed landfills can create a number of adverse
environmental impacts such as wind-blown litter, attraction of
vermin, and generation of liquid leachate. Another common
byproduct of landfills is gas (mostly composed of methane and
carbon dioxide), which is produced as organic waste breaks down
anaerobically. This gas can create odor problems, kill surface
vegetation, and is a greenhouse gas.
Landfill
INCINERATION

Incineration is a disposal method that

involves combustion of waste material.
Incineration and other high
temperature waste treatment systems
are sometimes described as "
thermal treatment". Incinerators
convert waste materials into heat, gas,
steam, and ash.
RECYCLING METHOD

The process of extracting resources or value from

waste is generally referred to as recycling,
meaning to recover or reuse the material. There
are a number of different methods by which waste
material is recycled: the raw materials may be
extracted and reprocessed, or the calorific
content of the waste may be converted to
electricity. New methods of recycling are being
developed continuously.
PHYSICAL REPROCESSING
The popular meaning of ‘recycling’
in most developed countries refers
to the widespread collection and
reuse of everyday waste materials
such as empty beverage containers.
These are collected and sorted into
common types so that the raw
materials from which the items are
made can be reprocessed into new
products. Material for recycling may
be collected separately from general
waste using dedicated bins and
collection vehicles, or sorted directly
from mixed waste streams.
BIOLOGICAL REPROCESSING
Waste materials that are organic in nature,
such as plant material, food scraps, and
paper products, can be recycled using
biological composting and digestion
processes to decompose the organic
matter. The resulting organic material is
then recycled as mulch or compost for
agricultural or landscaping purposes. In
addition, waste gas from the process (such
as methane) can be captured and used for
generating electricity. The intention of
biological processing in waste
management is to control and accelerate
the natural process of decomposition of
organic matter.
ENERGY RECOVERY
The energy content of waste products can be harnessed
directly by using them as a direct combustion fuel, or
indirectly by processing them into another type of fuel.
Recycling through thermal treatment ranges from using
waste as a fuel source for cooking or heating, to fuel for
boilers to generate steam and electricity in a turbine.
Pyrolysis and gasification are two related forms of thermal
treatment where waste materials are heated to high
temperatures with limited oxygen availability. The process
typically occurs in a sealed vessel under high pressure.
Pyrolysis of solid waste converts the material into solid,
liquid and gas products. The liquid and gas can be burnt
to produce energy or refined into other products.
AVOIDANCE AND REDUCTION METHOD

An important method of waste management is the

prevention of waste material being created, also known
as waste reduction. Methods of avoidance include
reuse of second-hand products, repairing broken items
instead of buying new, designing products to be
refillable or reusable (such as cotton instead of plastic
shopping bags), encouraging consumers to avoid using
disposable products (such as disposable cutlery), and
designing products that use less material to achieve
the same purpose (for example, lightweighting of
beverage cans).
ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
(SWM) ACT OF 2000

The Republic Act:

Passed in January 2000

Enacted in response to the growing scarcity of disposal
sites (particularly in Metro Manila)
Emphasizes solid waste avoidance and volume reduction
through source reduction and waste minimization
measures,
the protection of public health and the environment are
the primary goals.
The four provisions of the law that are of interest to the present study are
listed below:
a) Chapter 3 Article 1 Section 20:
establishes a mandatory, solid waste diversion rate of 25% within the next
five years at the local level
It requires each local government unit (LGU) in the next five years to divert
annually, on the average, 5% of its solid wastes away from waste disposal
facilities into resource recovery facilities such as reusing, recycling and
composting.
b) Chapter 3 Article 2 Section 21:
-mandatory segregation of solid wastes at source
-properly marked as can-be- composted, non-recyclable, recyclable or
special wastes.
-Segregation and collection of biodegradable, can-be-composted and
reusable wastes shall be conducted at the barangay level, while collection
of non-recyclable materials and special wastes shall be the responsibility
of the municipality or city (Chapter 2 Art 1 Sec 10).
c) Chapter 3 Article 4 (Sections 26-33) and Chapter 3 Article 5 (Sections
34-35):
- Establishes recycling and composting programs which includes;
- An inventory of existing markets for recyclable and can-be-
composted materials
- Establishment of materials recovery facilities
- Setting up of drop-off locations for recyclable materials
- Standards for non-environmentally acceptable products and packaging
will be developed and imposed on manufacturing and commercial
establishments.
d) Chapter 5 Article 7 Section 47:
- Provides LGUs with the authority to collect SWM fees
- The LGUs can impose fees sufficient to pay the costs of
preparing, adopting and implementing a solid waste management plan
- Factors used as the basis for setting the fees: types of solid waste;
amount/volume of waste; and distance to waste management facilities.
CURRENT ISSUES

A. Sanitary landfill
Sanitary Landfill for Metro Manila is still a major problem up to
now. Last year, the landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal was
barricaded by casual employees of the Rodriguez municipal
government. Rizal Governor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III, then
orders the police chief Supt. Freddie Panen to deploy
policemen at the new 19-hectare sanitary landfill in
Barangay San Isidro. Up to now, there are still protests on
opening sanitary landfill in Rizal. People of Rizal are
strongly against the idea of Rizal being the place where the
wastes from Metro Manila will be dumped. Their primary
concern is the health of the residents. Also, the bad smell
coming from the landfill is one of the issues they are
addressing on their protests.
Japan- Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement
(JPEPA)
The issue: Environmental hazard
- JPEPA provision: toxic and medical wastes will have zero
tariffs
- Both countries are signatories of the Basel convention
(prohibits the trade of toxic wastes)

Why reduce tariffs to zero?

- Would support firms trying to ensure proper toxic & hazardous

waste treatment

- Trade and good environmental management and regulation

together produce optimal environmental outcomes and
sustainable growth.
Critics --- Toxic Dumping

-"The exchange of diplomatic notes is simply a reiteration

of the status quo gift wrapped in a new package. The
Philippines is still open to the dangerous wastes from
Japan in the guise of 'recyclable materials'," said Atty.
Richard Gutierrez of the BAN, Asia-Pacific.
JPEPA would provide mandate for the dumping of toxic
wastes into the country
The liberalization of toxic waste trade ran counter to
multilateral environmental agreements like the Basel
Convention and the Basel Ban Amendment
Beyond the press releases:

1. Japan has been an opponent of the Basel Ban Amendment

- A recent example of Japanese opposition against the Basel Ban
was in August 2006, when the Japanese government sought a consultancy
to prepare an assessment on the use of bilateral agreements “for
bidirectional movement of toxic wastes between Japan and Asia.”

2. Japan has funded a group: the Institute for Global Environmental

Strategies
(IGES)--- proposed expansion of cross-border transfer of recyclable toxic
wastes through the use of the 3R Initiative and through bilateral Free Trade
Agreements, such as the JPEPA.

3. At the Conference of the Parties of the Basel Convention in Nairobi,

Kenya in 2006 the Japanese government representative was asked in a side
event whether or not they supported export of hazardous electronic wastes
to developing countries from Japan. YES!
4. Field investigations in China (2001) and Nigeria (2005) had
found evidence of toxic Japanese e-waste being dumped in the
guise of “second-hand” goods in these countries

"There is a strong history of Japanese toxic waste dumping in

Asia, in spite of their laws, the Basel Convention, and the laws of
the country they dumped on," said Gutierrez
--END--