Waste segregation: Mother program of proper waste management

(Second of four parts)

Frederika Rentoy, Quezon City’s Environmental Protection and Waste Management Division chief, said, “Waste segregation is the mother program because the idea of waste segregation is not just waste segregation per se. The idea behind this is to really minimize or reduce the volume of garbage. We are dumping at our landfills but then at the same time, we still want people to learn how to manage their own garbage.”

She added, “The idea is for the city to reduce the volume of garbage it produces. These waste are collected by dump trucks and end up at the landfill. But it will be much better if we are able to lessen the garbage we generate and people learn not to throw wastes in waterways and rivers.”

On waste segregation, Alexander Umagat, head of the Solid Waste Management Office of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, said local government units (LGUs) are the ones that should really take responsibility in compliance with the provisions of Republic Act 9003.

“The MMDA simply collects reports of the LGUs and consolidates them. We coordinate with them concerning their activities not just on waste segregation but on the status of their respective materials recovery facilities or MRFs. We provide waste disposal for collected waste,” Umagat said. An MRF is a specialized plant that receives, separates and prepares recyclable materials for marketing to end-user manufacturers.

62% of Metro Manila barangays complying

Based on MMDA records, as far as the performance of Metro Manila is concerned, 62 percent of the total 1,705 barangays are implementing waste segregation at source. “It means they comply with a provision of the law stating that where the garbage originates is where waste segregation should take place like in residences, offices, commercial establishments, etc.”

Umagat added that all waste generators are required to segregate wastes. “Residential areas are major sources of waste, that is why it should be the LGUs’ and concerned agencies’ focus,” he said.

Umagat stressed that waste segregation at source is the key to the solid waste management program, adding, “You have to make the people aware of waste segregation and make them implement it as well.”

He pointed out that the heart of the matter is to avoid producing waste and be conscious and resourceful through recycling of materials apart from proper disposal of other types of waste.

The MMDA official said Quezon City is one of the more aggressive LGUs in implementing RA 9003. “Apart from the implementation of the waste segregation scheme, Quezon City maintains its own landfill. They have the most organized waste pickers at site as the latter were also organized into cooperatives.”

MMDA records show that as of August this year, Quezon City’s compliance with the requirement of RA 9003, particularly with waste segregation at source, is 80 percent — that is 114 out of the city’s 142 barangays.

Depressed communities poor in compliance

Umagat also noted that those living in depressed communities — compared to the middle to upper-class sectors — are having difficulty with access to basic services like garbage collection.

“These are squatters living along the river, they usually live in areas with narrow streets. On the other hand, rich families live in subdivisions where garbage collectors can easily reach them.”

The official added that the rich have good jobs, live in communities which are much more organized and have house helpers they rely on to do waste segregation in their respective houses.

Fifty-eight-year-old Aida Lorilla, a resident of Barangay Balara, Quezon City, who represents the low-income households, said their community is really having difficulty in complying with proper waste segregation.

“People here lack discipline. They are lazy to engage in waste segregation, and reason out that the garbage truck comes only to do collection in their area once a week. There are also those who just dump their garbage — all types of waste mixed in one sack, and left along the highway,” Lorilla said.

Lorilla, who works as a street sweeper, even admitted that in her own household, waste segregation is not being practiced seriously. “I can do that but I also have to prioritize my work,” she said. “There is no clear program on garbage in our area that can guide or motivate me and my neighbors to segregate waste,” she added.

She also complained that some garbage collectors are also picking up garbage not properly segregated.

Lorilla said her job usually eats up her time since this is now her priority, and will just attend to garbage matters in her house if she is not busy.  (To be continued)