Lahar areas apt for waste redemption

LOS BAÑOS, Laguna — A research council of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) based here believes that some lahar-mantled places in Central Luzon can be good solid waste redemption areas (SWRAs).

At least 30 hectares of lahar-laden land in Central Luzon, particularly in Pampanga, which used to be productive farms, can serve as SWRAs for Metro Manila’s daily waste volume of about 6,000 tons, according to Rafael Guerrero III, executive director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

With Central Luzon close to Metro Manila, Guerrero said in a statement that solid wastes can be transported to the designated SWRAs aboard dump trucks or train coaches.

Waste segregation can be done manually or mechanically, either at the source or at the SWRAs, to separate the biodegradable, non-biodegradable and recyclable materials.

The sorted materials can then be processed or transformed into economically valuable products such as compost, construction materials, novelty items and handicrafts.

"The compost produced at the SWRAs can be used to revitalize the humus-poor topsoil of Central Luzon for crop production," Guerrero said. "The wastewater from the composting plant can be treated in oxidation ponds and used for fish and/or rice culture."

He said thousands of families, who were dislocated in lahar-affected areas, can be given jobs through livelihood industries that produce waste-based products.

Guerrero said the SWRA concept provides an environment-friendly, cost-effective and socially acceptable solution.

"With the serious problem of solid waste disposal in Metro Manila, a feasible and environment-friendly solution is badly needed," he said. "While many plans, including new dump-sites, sanitary landfills and recycling systems, have been presented, no single solution is evidently practicable and acceptable to all sectors for varied reasons that are political, social, economic and environmental."

The recently enacted Solid Waste Management Law requires the strict implementation of an integrated and ecologically sound solid waste management system which involves waste reduction, reuse and recycling.

The law also encourages waste segregation at all levels and the composting of biodegradable materials.