.png)
Photos courtesy: Shaina Dea Arellano
Is San Jose del Monte a true environment-friendly city?
The City is sending around 250 tons of residual wastes, composed mainly of solid plastic, every day from its 59 barangays to the rented landfill in Montalban, Rizal – 400 percent higher than the standardized amount.
Of the total wastes of San Jose del Monte, only 20 percent of residual wastes should go directly to the landfill but due to the huge volume of trashes collected, the city threw 80 percent of its residual waste to Rizal.
The Waste Generation of every San Joseño should only be 28 grams and only 0.023grams of it should be placed in the landfill.
Every year, CSJDM spent P120,483,750 to rent the landfill and local officials did not deny it cannot follow the standardized 20% wastes due to the increase of population in the city and waste disposal methods were dependent on each barangay.
According to an exclusive interview of Lumiere Cristina Sanchez, City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), “Unfortunately, the collection of wastes in the city was mostly the Lionel Truck, it collects mixed wastes.”
Mixed wastes collected are composed of biodegradables and non-biodegradables even hazardous wastes like bulbs, fluorescent and residual wastes.
Residual wastes are non-recyclable and non-compostable materials like plastics that do not melt immediately, sanitary napkins, rubbers, and disposable diapers.
“In terms of Waste Management, the City were already Municipal Ordinance 22A-10-99 in the year 1999, until 2004 we adopted the RA 9003,” Sanchez said.
Republic Act 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 was implemented in Bulacan. The law was signed and implemented by former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the year 2001 that declared the policy of the state in adopting a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program that ensures the protection of public health and environment and the proper segregation, collection, treatment, and disposal of solid waste.
After adopting and implementing this law to the City, the dumpsites in Citrus, Minuyan was turned down and rehabilitated the land and space there. In compliance with this, CENRO established the segregation of 5 kinds of waste.
First, the biodegradable waste; second, the non-biodegradable that directly went to landfill.
Third, the Factory Returnable and Recycled materials; can be returned to the factory to recycle. Fourth, the Residual with potential for diversion consists of plastics that can be turned into a product or can still be used in composting. Lastly, Special Waste like hazardous waste or bulbs.
The Residual with potential for diversion directly send off to MRF or Material Recovery Facility located at Quarry, Minuyan.
Residual wastes processed to diversion
In accordance with Republic Act 9003, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, it is necessary to establish Material Recovery Facility or MRF to process and lessen the Residual Wastes that can be turned into something more useful to the community.
One of the workers in MRF quipped, “Malaki pa rin ang problema sa basura rito sa atin, kahit papaano, paunti-unti, nababawasan dahil nagiging tulong din sa mga pananim at dito sa komyunidad.”
There are 45 kilos of plastics being ground every day in MRF. It is being exchanged to a sack of cement at Holcim Cement Factory. Unfortunately, the plastic that is ground at MRF will be used as firewood to fuel up the factory machine works.
Tons of coconuts delivered every day to MRF and turned to coconut dusk. This used as the best fertilizer that freely gives to the community and to the Nursery of Forestry and Agriculture Section.
CSJDM also funds for African Worms to be cultured that costs P1,500 for Vermicomposting. Vegetable Scraps are only used to nourish the worms. The waste of worms will be the fertilizer that benefitted the community and to Nursery of Forestry and Agriculture Section.
Landscape tiles were also sent to MRF. Glass scraps or bottles were finely pulverized until it is refined like sand. It was a handmade tile by the workers at MRF, this will be used for the future project of CSJDM that will be placed along the highways.
Trash to cash
The city is regarded as the “Most Compliant Local Government Unit, Most Healthy City and Most Environmentally Friendly” due to Waste Recycling programs and different activities within the Central Luzon.
CSJDM was engaged to conduct different activities and programs in order to organize the solid waste being collected in different barangay, private sectors, and institutions.
The programs were the following:
Residual with potential for diversion was classified as the garbage’s being collected to produce another product such as pillows and bags. These products were made out plastics that also helped the community to have a livelihood at the same time helped the waste management.
The program Septage Treatment plant is known as the “Sip-sip Pozo Negro." This treatment is processed Biologically, Mechanically and Chemically.
“Waste Mo ‘To" is a program for the attainment of sustainable development of trash being innovated to create a new product.
The Waste Recycler Association created the following material and attended the waste recycling training to be sold in Starmall, San Jose Del Monte, Pasalubong Center. The creator of these products were the following prisons, 4p's members and the association. The program innovates a new product such as bags, lamps, and furniture that were made out of plastic materials.
“Palit basura sa mga empleyado ng City" was in its second year of publishing the trash of every office is in exchange for hygiene kit as it's reward or incentive of trash Segregation.
The city piloted 10 public schools around CSJDM and as an incentive of proper waste segregation or reward worth P5,000 school supplies being distributed to each beneficiary school.
According to Sanchez, P1 million were allotted every year Contest Search, to create programs in barangays such as “Idol ko si Kap”, “Search for Best Practicing Barangay and Ecological Solid Wastes Management”, “Most Eco-Friendly” that motivates the community to learn more environmentally and earn more financially.”
The city conducted different “Summit" to teach San Joseños practices and strategies about Land, Water, and Hazardous Wastes at all sectors of a community. The ECA or also known as Environmental Compliance Audit (coaching) a program conducted quarterly to teach the community officers how to create a Compliance report to be passed in DILG for environmental purposes.
FCPC adopting waste management
The Physical Plant and Facilities was established in 2018 headed by Engineer Paolo Fonollera to focus the waste management at First City Providential College.
Based on the recently researched conducted by PPF Department, there were about 1 ton of garbage that was collected on campus. Estimated 900 to 100 kilograms of garbage, mostly plastic bottles and papers.
"Regarding the garbage, our school has the congregation area where we put up and stock all the collected garbage in a day, then once in a week the local government collects it." Engineer Paolo Fonollera said.
Since the plastic bottle is one of the big contributors to the garbage of the school Engr. Fonollera is about to introduce the bamboo straws and bring your own containers to the students.
This will help the campus to be zero-waste or lessen the waste and get rid of the one-time use of plastics.
The plan was together with the science department. According to Fonollera, “In due time they will introduce this when it is already approved by the heads of the school. This plan of the PPF department thinks that in future of all their plans are good because Our plans do not focus on the development of the institution, but our small plans can ripple into something big."
FCPC also adopted the R.A 9003, wherein the PPF department practiced the segregation of trash with three separate bins labeled as biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and the recyclable.
"We are giving students different programs like seminars and orientations to keep them knowledgeable about the waste management together with the science department they help in disseminating the information about waste management to the students and even with the faculties they keep them educated regarding the waste management especially the segregation of trash," Fonollera stated.
Σχόλια