Borja, Yasmin Kaye C.

CHEM 002 – Environmental Engineering

Are these Republic Act properly implemented? Justify your answer.

I believe the Philippines is doing its best to maintain proper disposal and to improve their
solid waste management through the passage of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste
Management Act. However, it is not enough. I live and grew here in Manila and I always witness
heaps of solid waste along the roads, sidewalks, and rivers. People are also part of the blame but
I also think that it’s because of inefficient solid waste collection which results to some parts of
manila being neglected. I also think that the Philippines’ solid waste infrastructure is unable to
keep pace with the economic and population growth which leads up to the fast accumulation of
garbage and dumpsites that threatens the health of both the environment and the people.

Define the following:

a. Leachate

Leachate generation is a major problem for municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills and
causes significant threat to surface water and groundwater. Leachate can be defined as a liquid
that passes through landfill and has extracted dissolved and suspended matter from it.

b. solid waste

Solid waste shall refer to all discarded household, commercial waste, non-hazardous
institutional and industrial waste, street sweepings, construction debris, agricultural waste, and
other non-hazardous/non-toxic solid waste.

c. Recyclables

Recyclables are substances or objects that can be recycled.

 d. types of solid waste and how it should be disposed

1. Municipal solid waste

Municipal solid waste consists of household waste, construction and demolition debris,
sanitation residue, and waste from streets. This garbage is generated mainly from residential and
commercial complexes.

Disposal

The local corporations have adapted different methods for the disposal of waste – open
dumps, landfills, sanitary landfills, and incineration plants. One of the important methods of waste
treatment is composting. Open dumps refer to uncovered areas that are used to dump solid waste
of all kinds.

2. Industrial waste/hazardous waste

Industrial waste is considered hazardous as they may contain toxic substances. Certain
types of household waste are also hazardous. Hazardous wastes could be highly toxic to humans,
animals, and plants; are corrosive, highly inflammable, or explosive; and react when exposed to
certain things e.g. gases.

Disposal

Hazardous waste can be treated by chemical, thermal, biological, and physical methods.
Chemical methods include ion exchange, precipitation, oxidation and reduction, and
neutralization. Among thermal methods is high-temperature incineration, which not only can
detoxify certain organic wastes but also can destroy them.

3. Hospital waste

Hospital waste is generated during the diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human

beings or animals or in research activities in these fields or in the production or testing of
biologicals. It may include wastes like sharps, soiled waste, disposables, anatomical waste, cultures,
discarded medicines, chemical wastes, etc.
Disposal

Autoclaving

Autoclaving — which uses a heated container to destroy waste — is one of the most effective
ways to deal with biohazard wastes. In fact, about 90% of biohazard waste is autoclaved or
incinerated at roughly 2,400 medical waste incinerators (MWI) across the United States.

Chemical Disinfection

Some types of biohazard waste, like solid animal wastes, can be disinfected chemically. Afterwards,
they can be deposited in a landfill, where they won’t pose any threat of spreading infections.

Encapsulation

One type of biohazard waste known as sharps requires that special precautions be taken. Sharps
are, as the name implies, sharp, and can easily tear or puncture what’s containing them, which can
consequentially allow them to easily spread infection.

Used syringes, scalpels, and other sharp medical materials need to be encapsulated in a properly
labeled, puncture resistant container, and placed in an appropriately designated spot for
deposition in a landfill.

From the pandemic we experienced, are the special waste such as the materials being
disposed in hospitals and even facemasks properly disposed. Justify your answer.

I would say not all of the hazardous waste such as face masks or face shields are properly
disposed. A lot of the common folk are not aware of the proper disposal of hazardous waste which
results to just carelessly throwing those wastes in random trash bags or worse – in the streets.
However, I do believe that hospitals are being responsible for their waste disposal. Those wastes
can affect the environment and the people around it so I think that they are disposing I it properly
to prevent the spread of the virus.
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