SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

          It is undeniable that the Philippines is considered to be one of the largest
contributors of waste around the world placing fourth among its country-members of the
ASEAN Integration. Having a population of 112 million that directly affects the number
of wastes produced each day is clearly an indication that waste disposal is enormous.
According to the United Nations Environment Program (2020), the Philippines
generates an astounding 14.66 million tons of plastic garbage every year with an
estimation of that garbage’s garnered ends up in the ocean.

The average Filipino generates 0.414 kg of solid garbage every day this year. By
the end of 2020, each Filipino would have created 150 kilos of solid trash on a daily
basis. Over the course of a year, the ordinary Filipino adult creates between two and
three times his own body weight in rubbish,

       Moreover, based on the report of the Senate Economic Planning Office (SEPO),
the waste produced in the country climbed gradually from 37,427.46 tons per day in
2012 to 40,087.45 tons per day in 2016. The residential areas create the most solid
trash, accounting for 57%, while garbage from commercial enterprises, institutional
sources, and the industrial or manufacturing sector accounted for 27%, 12%, and 4% of
total waste generated, respectively. Meanwhile, CALABARZON Region produces 5,695
tons of garbage per day ranging from 190 grams to 390 grams per person per day,
according to data supplied by the LGUs to the EMB.

       As the intensity and effects of produced waste increase, this led the government
to thrive and to create certain solutions that will decipher this underlying problem. And
one of those is the implementation of Republic Act No. 9003 or an act establishing an
ecological solid waste management program, establishing the required institutional
processes and incentives, declaring certain conduct forbidden and imposing penalties,
allocating funds for the program, and other objectives. Under the said law, LGUs must
develop their own local solid waste management plan that outlines their strategy for
reusing, recycling, and composting garbage in their jurisdiction.

       Also, Administrative Order No. 50-1998 that established guidelines for identifying
and establishing sanitary landfills including: (a) the site should not be located in existing
or proposed residential, commercial, or urban development areas, or areas with
archaeological, cultural, or historical significance; (b) the site should not be located in or
up gradient of shallow unconfined aquifers for drinking water; and (c)  it should not be
located near airports; and (d) not in soft and settling soils.

This is being experience according to Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian due to the

inadequate execution of a 20-year-old law and a lack of action by homes and
communities. According to the senator, the waste problem used to be felt solely by local
government units (LGUs), but it has now "developed into a national catastrophe
requiring prompt collective action from government and civil society. It is evident that the
consequences of the waste situation are much too serious for us to do nothing. We
must act immediately to end the garbage catastrophe before it damages the
environment and poisons the bodies of future generations of Filipinos. According to
2018 data, the Philippines is the third largest annual producer of solid trash in Southeast
Asia, with only Thailand and Indonesia producing more.

Furthermore, Valdez emphasized the law's required obligations. These include a

waste diversion objective, a 10-year solid waste management plan, materials recovery
facilities, and a disposal facility—all of which are still being ignored, especially by local
governments. According to Section 20 of RA 9003, which mandates mandatory solid
waste diversion, each LGU plan must include an implementation schedule that shows
how the LGU will divert at least 25% of all solid waste from waste disposal facilities
through reuse, recycling, composting, and other resource recovery activities within five
years of the law's implementation. The trash diversion targets will be raised every three
years after that. However, based on statistics compiled from DENR and NSWMC-
approved 10-year solid waste management plans, the diversion objective of

       In light of the CALABARZON’s limited landfills and dumpsites, the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) recommended individuals and businesses
to drastically reduce waste generation. Lawyer Maria Paz Luna, DENR CALABARZON
Regional Executive Director, suggested that all local government units (LGUs) should
broaden their solutions to include finding economic uses for garbage or trash. In
Batangas, several dumpsites and sanitary landfills are used in order for waste to be
collected. Despite that solution, the problem of waste management is still a critical issue
that needs to be addressed. Too much garbage in the sanitary landfills provides a
negative effect to people and also to the environment.

       It is indisputable that the use of sachets and plastics is inevitable. This critical
issue has been the focus of researchers and seeks to implement an advocacy that will
encourage sachet and waste collection to be recycled and produce a product that is
environmentally friendly. Moreover, the researchers aim to produce and establish
environmentally responsible consumers in using sachet waste collection.

       Furthermore, the researchers established and developed a method known as the
Project SOWC MO which stands for Solid Waste Collection Management Method. This
will aid the problem of the increasing number of wastes produced and also reduce the
use of plastic by using eco-friendly bags namely SKOUPIDIA, a Greek word for
garbage. The waste collected will serve as one of the materials to produce this eco-
friendly bag which is water resistant, foldable and budget-friendly. This is due to the
problem of the compliance of the waste management in the country, the researchers will
utilize the project of making activities for proper waste management.

MEASUREMENT OF SUCCESS

The researchers conducted a survey to the key audiences of this project and
concluded that they are interested with the product SKOUPIDIA. They praised the
product since they utilize eco-friendly and low-cost materials that everyone can make.
They garnered answers through focus group discussions to have a more effective and
efficient way of gathering answers from the respondents, which it will be easier to get
answers rather than getting one-by-one opinion from the surveys.

The result of the survey indicates that 100% of the respondents are interested in
the product Skoupidia and find it sustainable and fashionable. They also believed that it
will meet our needs in reducing use of plastic bags and will solve our problem of sachet-
collection that shows the intent that every respondent wants to participate on making
waste management program appropriately and efficiently.

Furthermore, in the quality that they most liked in product Skoupidia is the
materials used with 60% equivalent to 15 respondents followed by the design with 20%
5 respondents, then the price which is 16% with 4 respondents and lastly the 4% equals
to 1 respondent who answered that she likes all of the above-mentioned qualities.

While the highest quality that the product Skoupidia needs improvement is the
design with 64% equivalent to 16 respondents to be followed by the materials used with
2 %; 6 respondents and next is the price with 8% or 2 respondents. Lastly is the 4% or 1
respondent who answered none.

Now the result regarding if they will buy our product Skoupidia once made
available in the market answered 100% or 25 respondents as well as the question if
they will refer our Skoupidia to other customers.

As a summary of the results of the conducted survey, most of the respondents

have a positive view about the product pertaining to the materials used wherein they
utilize the use of waste as its main body making it resistant to all kinds of fluid. Also,
they praised the main objective of this project, SOWC MO. They liked how the
researchers wanted to improve the waste disposal into something that is useful to
consumers. Moreover, creating this eco-friendly bag that is foldable and easy to carry
interests them the most. Through the reduce of plastic materials of having sustainable
materials the likelihood of waste will be reduce from a few or greater number of tons
reduce per year.

The project will be effective on the use of using the social media platforms of
making a project for a cause about the necessities on reducing the wastes using the
eco-friendly bag and encouragement of people to using alternative materials. Generally
the success, and conclusion will be get from the survey, online and offline platform will
be used in order to measure the success of this product, this will be the channels to
communicate and encouraging individuals to participate and support the practice.