Inter-agency body formed for pullout of Canada waste

DAGUPAN CITY, Philippines – An inter-agency committee has been tasked to coordinate with the Canadian government to take back the garbage it exported to the country.

Sen. Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, told journalists here yesterday the move was arrived at during a committee hearing on Wednesday.

The committee is composed of representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Bureau of Customs. 

Escudero said the Basel Convention, of which Canada is a signatory, states that the garbage of a country sent to another country must be returned to its origin.

He said when Japan dumped garbage in the country in 1999, it was eventually returned to sender.

“The Philippines is not the garbage dumping site of Japan. The Philippines is not also the dumping area of Canada,” he said. “We each have our garbage… We have to be responsible for our own garbage.”

About 29 shipping containers of mixed waste from Canada had been disposed at a sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac. 

Solid waste management

Meanwhile, EcoWaste Coalition has partnered with international humanitarian agency Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for a comprehensive study on solid waste management (SWM) in 15 barangays in Malabon, Manila, Navotas, Angono, Rizal and Bulacan.

The EcoWaste Coalition said the CRS would embark on a project that seeks to cut the volume of trash that ends up in canals and rivers and aggravates the threat of flooding.

The Strengthening Urban Communities Capacity to Endure Severe Shocks (SUCCESS) aims to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable communities in project sites for them to withstand the impact of frequent flooding and other disasters. It is being funded by the United States Agency for International Development – Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance.

As SWM contractor, EcoWaste Coalition shall prepare a comprehensive SWM situation of the target barangays to assess and improve the capacities of benefactor communities toward effective implementation of ecological solid waste management.

In collaboration with stakeholders, the group will facilitate the formulation of 15 barangay SWM action plans, as well as develop a materials recovery facility plan in four project sites.

“Ecological waste management will help build community resilience against perennial flood and sanitation woes as well as augment household income. We are also thrilled to be part of this CRS initiative that will surely energize the enforcement of Republic Act 9003 at the target barangays,” said Aileen Lucero, coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition.

“With this endeavor, we hope to reduce the quantity of waste dumped on streets and waterways and promote sustainable SWM livelihoods in the target communities,” Joseph Curry, CRS country representative, said.

Curry said the project would not only improve current waste management practices, but also boost the asset base and financial resources of households, which they can draw upon in times of crisis.

Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, calls for the “adoption of the best environmental practice in ecological waste management excluding incineration,” and provides for the establishment of “MRF in every barangay or cluster of barangays.”– With Rhodina Villanueva