Villar: Garbage problem now an environmental disaster

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said yesterday the country’s garbage problem was becoming an environmental disaster due to the government’s lack of long-term and permanent solution to waste disposal, particularly in Metro Manila.

Studies show that Metro Manila produces at least 8,000 tons of solid waste per day, of which only 6,000 end up in dumps. The rest are dumped illegally on private land and even in rivers, creeks or at times openly burned.

 “The rate at which we produce waste or garbage is really a cause for alarm. Garbage dumps and even sanitary landfills eventually get filled up. We may soon run out of sites for these facilities, which are heavily protested by residents and for good reason too – these cause environmental damage and pose hazards to people’s health,” Villar said.

The operation of open dumps is prohibited under Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

If not properly planned, built and managed, landfills and dumps are prone to landslides, flash floods, erosion and other environmental hazards. Moreover, the removal of forest cover to make room for a dump endangers the lives of people in nearby communities on top of eliminating their sources of livelihood, Villar said in a statement.

“Our country, which has among the highest solid waste generation per capita in the developing world, still has no acceptable and sustainable waste disposal facility. This should be prioritized on a national level, especially as the effects of global warming and climate change become more apparent,” Villar said.

Villar also urged homeowners segregate their garbage since almost 75 percent of the garbage are generated from households.

Villar said nearly 45 percent of waste generated by households was organic but due to the lack of composting facilities, these could not be processed into useful products such as organic fertilizers.

He added that the principle of 3 R’s – reduce, reuse and recycle – could not be overemphasized as far as environment protection was concerned. Based on estimates, households in Metro Manila generate more than two million tons of potentially recyclable materials every year. In fact, there is huge market demand for recyclable materials that is unmet locally, Villar said.