FIRST

The waste management hierarchy it is a conceptual framework designed to guide and rank waste management decisions
at both the individual and organizational level. It replaces the traditional waste management approach of “the three Rs”
(reduce, reuse and recycle), expanding it into a five-step process where the most preferred actions are at the top and the
least preferred are at the bottom of the inverted pyramid. The hierarchy helps us rethink our relationship with waste
based on five priorities ranked in terms of what’s best for the environment.

SECOND

Waste Sources.

Solid wastes are generated from residential, commercial, industrial and institutional sources. Residential wastes accounts
for more than half (57%) of the total solid wastes (e.g. kitchen scraps, yard waste, paper and cardboards, glass bottles,
etc.) Wastes from commercial sources, which include commercial establishments and public/private markets, accounts
for 27 percent. Wastes from institutional sources such as government offices, educational and medical institutions account
for about 12 percent while the remaining 4 percent is waste coming from the industrial or manufacturing sector (NSWMC).

THIRD

Solid waste management remains a major challenge in the Philippines especially in urban areas like Metro Manila.
Improper wastes disposal, inefficient waste collection and lack of disposal facilities are among the dominant concerns in
the country’s solid waste management.

FOURTH

Unless these are addressed, the waste generated from various sources will continually lead to health hazards and serious
environmental impacts such as ground and surface water contamination, flooding, air pollution and spread of diseases.

The Metro Manila generates over 10,000 tons of waste every day, and this is expected to double by 2030. A sizable
proportion of the refuse is openly burned, further worsening the quality of the city’s already heavily polluted air, or
dumped in rivers, creeks and Manila Bay.

FIFTH

Ecological Waste Management under the law refers to the “systematic administration of activities which provide for
segregation at source, segregated transportation, storage, transfer, processing, treatment, and disposal of solid waste and
all other waste management activities which do not harm the environment”.

to encourage the reduction of waste at source, recovery, recycling and reuse of wastes, creating mandatory targets
through the local government units.

However, there is a very limited number of materials recovery facilities equipped with technologies to reduce wastes like
recycling and composting. This coupled with the accelerated economic growth, high demand for energy and much
dependence on imported fossil fuels, creates a promising environment to waste-to-energy technologies.

Despite this law, however, poor solid waste management in the Philippines is still prevalent since open and controlled
dumps are being used in the country. This poses great threats on the country’s environment and public health
SIXTH:

Improper solid waste management practices can have a number of environmental and health impacts. The adverse
impacts and their causes are shown in Figure below.

People who live near or within dumpsites are vulnerable to various diseases. Leachate from solid waste can contaminate
groundwater tables and surface waters. Insects and pests in open dumpsites are disease vectors. Methane gases from
dumpsites can affect the health of exposed populations and contribute to global warming. Coastal and marine litter affects
aesthetics, causes pollution, and harms marine organisms. Improperly managed solid wastes also can result in increased
flooding and destruction of infrastructures due to clogged waterways.

SEVENTH:

Trash has been a major problem in the Manila, and as years pass by the problem grew worse. In 2016, a record from the
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority or MMDA, states that the total volume of garbage thrown by Metro Manila
residents was 9,499.44 tons per day, compared with 8,600 tons per day in 2010, and the numbers could still rise in the
following years (45 percent of Metro’s garbage not properly disposed, 2017a). Even though a large amount of waste is
being collected daily it is still not enough.

EIGHT:

According to Aileen Lucero, national coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition, that the collection and proper disposal of waste
in truly problematic, because of this, many conflict can be created, such as flooding due to the drainage being blocked by
the wastes, various waste may end up in the ocean, and the wastes may harm the residences and the animals of the
affected vicinity. This is an example of where those wastes goes when it is not disposed properly, you may see a plastic
floating around the street and next it ends up in the drainage that would bring more problem when rainy season comes
in.

Individuals comprising each LGU are likewise responsible for solid waste management. In fact, Presidential Decree No. 825
(PD No. 825) enjoins all citizens and residents of the Philippines, educational institutions and commercial and industrial
establishments to clean their own surroundings, as well as the canals, roads or streets in their immediate premises.

These laws may have never seen the light of day, however, with garbage ending up on streets, sewages, canals and other
waterways. This phenomenon may be attributed to, among others, the absence of implementing ordinances in some
LGUs, residents’ lack of participation in promoting solid waste management, and the general public’s limited awareness
on waste disposal and segregation.

NINETH:

In general, the reduction, reuse and recycling system, and ultimate disposal in environmentally sanitary landfill in the
Philippines, unfortunately, could still be considered as not effective and efficient in attaining a clean environment .This
is manifested by the low compliance of LGUs to Republic Act 9003 and rampant littering and unhealthy practice of
burning wastes in some open dumps and areas. Hence, the key to effective solid waste management in the Philippines
is firstly the political will of the LGUs to innovatively comply with RA 9003, through mobilization and participation of
community, private and informal waste sectors towards minimizing solid waste and uplifting the economic status of
the vulnerable groups of waste pickers, buyers and scavengers.