Waste Management:

practical application of
the new ethical concepts of
Eco-Ethics International Union

by

Romeo D. Caturao, MSc in Marine Ecology 1

 What are Wastes?
Basel Convention Definition of Wastes

“substances or objects which are disposed of or are intended

to be disposed of or are required to be disposed of by the
provisions of the law”

Disposal means
“any operation which may lead to resource recovery,
recycling, reclamation, direct re-use or alternative uses
(Annex IVB of the Basel convention)”

2
 Kinds of Wastes
Solid wastes: domestic, commercial and industrial wastes
especially common as co-disposal of wastes

Examples: plastics, styrofoam containers, bottles, cans,

papers, scrap iron, and other trash

Liquid Wastes: wastes in liquid form

Examples: domestic washings, chemicals, oils, waste

water from ponds, manufacturing industries and other sources

3
Classification of Wastes according
to their Properties

Bio-degradable
can be degraded (paper, wood, fruits and others)

Non-biodegradable
cannot be degraded (plastics, bottles, old machines,
cans, styrofoam containers and others)

4
 Classification of Wastes according to
their Effects on Human Health and the Environment

Hazardous wastes
Substances unsafe to use commercially, industrially,
agriculturally, or economically that are shipped, transported to
or brought from the country of origin for dumping or disposal
in, or in transit through, any part of the territory of the
Philippines

Non-hazardous
Substances safe to use commercially, industrially,
agriculturally, or economically that are shipped, transported to
or brought from the country of origin for dumping or disposal
in, or in transit through, any part of the territory of the
Philippines

5
Sources of Wastes

Households

Commerce and
Industry

6
 Sources of Wastes
Agriculture

Fisheries

7
Waste Generation by Country
(Global Waste Survey Final Report Published by IMO 1995)*

Countries Amount /year

Japan 395 M tonnes/year
Germany 104 M tonnes/year
Netherlands 6.1 M tonnes/year
Hungary 102 M tonnes/year
Poland 130 M tonnes/year
Romania 607 M tonnes/year
Bahrain 92,000 tonnes/year
China 6 B tonnes/year
Philippines 1.3 M tonnes/year

*from primary and secondary industry sectors

8
 Waste Generation in the Philippines

In Metro Manila:

• It is estimated that 25 million m3 of acid and alkaline liquid

waste is disposed of annually from the electronics industry.
• Almost 2,000 m3 of solvents and 22,000 tonnes of heavy
metals, infectious wastes, biological sludges, lubricants and
intractable wastes are disposed of on land or into water
courses.
• 4,000 tonnes of solid wastes are generated daily. Of these,
only about 3,400 tonnes are collected and transported to
existing sites.

9
 Waste Generation in
Iloilo Province

Hundreds of tons of domestic wastes are

generated daily by households contributing to
the enormous environmental problems the
world is facing.*

*Chua, TE (1996) Waste management in the coastal areas of

the ASEAN region. ECLARM Proceedings No. 33

10
EFFECTS OF WASTE IF NOT
MANAGED WISELY

• Affects our health

• Affects our socio-economic conditions
• Affects our coastal and marine environment
• Affects our climate

11
 EFFECTS OF WASTE…
According to NAS:
• GHGs are accumulating in Earth’s atmosphere as a result of human activities,
causing global mean surface air temperature and subsurface ocean
temperature to rise.

• Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels and change
precipitation and other local climate conditions.

• Changing regional climates could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies.

• This could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems.

• Deserts might expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our
national parks might be permanently altered.

12
 EFFECTS OF WASTE…
According to NAS:
- Some countries are expected to become warmer, although sulfates might
limit warming in some areas.

- Scientists are unable to determine which parts of those countries will

become wetter or drier, but there is likely to be an overall trend toward
increased precipitation and evaporation, more intense rainstorms, and drier
soils.

- Whether rainfall increases or decreases cannot be reliably projected for

specific areas.

13
 Effects of waste….
Activities that have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere:

-Buildup of GHGs primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4), and

nitrous oxide (N20).

-C02 is released to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels, wood

and wood products, and solid waste.

-CH4 is emitted from the decomposition of organic wastes in landfills,

the raising of livestock, and the production and transport of coal, natural
gas, and oil.

-N02 is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as

during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels. In 1977, the US
emitted about one-fifth of total global GHGs.

Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2000, US EPA, Office of Atmospheric
Programs, April 2002 EPA 236-R-02-003. 14
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
• Reduce Waste
- Reduce office paper waste by implementing a formal policy
to duplex all draft reports and by making training manuals
and personnel information available electronically.

- Improve product design to use less materials.

- Redesign packaging to eliminate excess material while

maintaining strength.

- Work with customers to design and implement a packaging

return program.

- Switch to reusable transport containers.

- Purchase products in bulk.

15
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Reuse

- Reuse corrugated moving boxes internally.

- Reuse office furniture and supplies, such as interoffice

envelopes, file folders, and paper.

- Use durable towels, tablecloths, napkins, dishes, cups, and

glasses.

- Use incoming packaging materials for outgoing shipments.

- Encourage employees to reuse office materials rather than

purchase new ones.

16
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE

Donate/Exchange

- old books

- old clothes

- old computers

- excess building materials

- old equipment to local organizations

17
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Employee Education

- Develop an “office recycling procedures” packet.

- Send out recycling reminders to all employees including

environmental articles.

- Train employees on recycling practices prior to

implementing recycling programs.

- Conduct an ongoing training process as new technologies

are introduced and new employees join the institution.

18
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE

Employee Education

- education campaign on waste management that

includes an extensive internal web site, quarterly
newsletters, daily bulletins, promotional signs and
helpful reference labels within the campus of an
institution.

19
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE

Preventing Waste

- packaging waste reductions and

changes in the manufacturing process

- use biodegradable materials

20
 WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
Conduct outreach program adopting an
ecologically sound waste management
system which includes:

• waste reduction
• segregation at source
• composting
• recycling and re-use
• more efficient collection
• more environmentally sound disposal
21
Residents are organized into small groups to
carry out the following:
1. construction of backyard compost pit

2. construction of storage bins where recyclable and reusable

materials are stored by each household

3. construction of storage centers where recyclable and

reusable materials collected by the street sweepers are
stored prior to selling to junk dealers

4. maintenance of cleanliness in yards and streets

5. greening of their respective areas

6. encouraging others to join

22
 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS: EMS

What is an EMS?
An EMS is a formal set of policies and procedures that define how an
organization will evaluate, manage, and track its environmental
impact. It follows the basic model:

Plan > Do > Check > Act

This facilitates cost-effective environmental performance by defining

and continuously improving the process and actions that an
organization undertakes to meet its environmental goals.

23
 EMS Development
• A Policy Statement that communicates an
organization’s environmental priorities to employees.

• Managerial endorsement of the policy statement

demonstrates the organization’s commitment to the
effort and willingness to allocate resources for
implementation.

• Once a policy statement is in place, the organization

implements it following the model.

24
 Stages in the Implementation of EMS
1. Plan
Identify all environmental aspects: any environmental or
health and safety impacts resulting from activities and
services. The organization then evaluates each aspect
according to a variety of criteria:

• understanding of eco-ethics
• environmental and health effects
• economic impacts
• liabilities

After establishing a complete list of significant aspects, the

organization sets environmental goals and develops a plan
to achieve those goals.
25
2. Do
The ‘do-phase’ of the model involves implementation of the
environmental plan through employee training and establishment of
operation controls.

3. Check
Evaluates progress toward meeting program goals through ongoing
monitoring and measuring and periodic EMS audits.

4. Act
Involves taking corrective action to update and improve the
environmental plan. For example, if an organization makes
significant progress on one environmental aspect, another
environmental aspect will replace it on the priority list.

26
Why Should an Organization Adopt an EMS?

1. Improve environmental performance

It helps monitor energy and water conservation, resource
efficiencies, and pollution prevention.

2. Better regulatory compliance

Increase regulatory compliance which is especially important for
organizations that spend time and resources with regulatory
violations.

3. Certification and recognition

EMS implementation can enhance an organization’s image and
improve public community relations.

27
 EMS Certification

• EPA encourages organizations to use recognized

EMS frameworks to improve compliance, pollution
prevention, and other measures of environmental
performance.

• Third-party certification can also add credibility to an

organization’s EMS.

28
 Several organizations which offer
certification programs:

• American Chemistry Council

• American Forest and Paper Association
• International Chamber of Commerce
• Coalition for Environmentally Responsible
Economies
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
developed the most widely recognized EMS standard

29
 Principles of an Effective EMS
For better environmental and overall organizational
performance, an EMS should:

1. Focus on continual improvement

2. Serve the organization and its mission
3. Receive top management support
4. Remain dynamic and flexible
5. Fit the culture of the organization
6. Represent employees and their actions
7. Establish employees awareness and involvement

30
 That ends my presentation.

I hope this lecture about ECO-ETHICS will

make you aware of what is happening to our
environment.

Now I urge you to join

Eco-Ethics International Union
to help build a better house for humanity!

Thank you for listening!

31