RELATED LITERATURE

According to Waste Management Resources (2009) waste management is the process

of collecting, transporting, processing or disposing, managing and monitoring of waste

materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity and the process is

generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics. Waste

includes all items that people no longer have any use for, which they either intend to get rid of or

have already discarded and these include: packing items, garden waste, old paints containers,

vegetables, metals etc. (Atienza, V.A., 2008). Waste can be described as "any substance or

object the holder discards, intends to discard or is required to discard", as defined by the Waste

Framework Directive (Directive 2008/98/EC).On the other hand, In the Philippines Republic Act

No. 9275 (An Act Providing For a Comprehensive Water Quality management and for Other

Purposes), waste means “any material either solid, liquid, semisolid, contained gas or other

forms resulting industrial, commercial, mining or agricultural operations, or from community and

household activities that is devoid of usage and discarded”.

According to Rushton (2011) waste has become one of a major problem in

environmental and health issues that need to be solve. The problem in mounting waste has

been the main foundation of hazardous illness and land depletion, not to mention its negative

effects to the environment.

The proof is the incident that happened in New Delhi, India. According to Chitra

Mukherjee (2017), a large portion of the 50m high Ghazipur landfill, almost matching up a

majestic towering structure of Delhi, the Qutub Minar, collapsed on September 1, 2017 leaving

at least two people dead. The Ghazipur landfill is the oldest operational landfill in Delhi. The

landfill is one of the four dump sites in Delhi, commissioned in 1984, reached its saturation point

in 2002, when it reached 20m in height and yet the landfill continued receiving 3000 metric tons,
about one-fourth Delhi’s total waste generation, of mixed waste every day. This waste

comprises of rotting food waste, recyclable scrap like plastic, paper, cardboard, metal, glass,

bio-medical waste like bandages, injections, medicines, hazardous electronic waste like used

cell phones, batteries, sanitary napkins, diapers, rusted knives, blades, broken CFLs, tube-lights

and much more dangerous, toxic and hazardous material that Delhi generates and throws away

every day without segregating, composting or recycling that is dangerous for the people that live

in the area.

Another incident happened in the Philippines. According to a study “Stability Problems of

Landfills – The Payatas Landslides”. Payatas residents had been a victim of a disastrous

incident that killed 300 people. It was in July 10, 2000, when the wastes that were stacked

up to 50 feet high came crashing down on the houses and shanties of residents, mostly

scavengers, situated near the actual garbage mountains. One major reason for the landslide

could be identified: The waste density was too low. The low density allowed a high rate of water

percolation instead of getting drained by surface flow. The water reduced the shear strength by

mobilizing pore water pressure and triggered finally the failure. The reasons for the low waste

density are a combination of lack of development (poverty) and industrial production creating a

very light waste, which is reluctant to conventional compaction methods.

The unsound management of waste is one of the most serious environmental problems,

given its high negative impact on natural resources and human health. Therefore, it is

necessary to foster a culture at schools, aimed at alleviating the environmental and social

problem caused by trash (Harmony, 2012).

In Mexico, A Zero Waste at My School – School Waste Separation and Recycling

Program was established at a university campus in response to grassroots student concern

over environmental management issues. The program holds that the way to address Mexico’s

waste problem is by educating the public, heightening environmental awareness from an early

school age. The implementation of environmental education programs at schools will help to
drive the necessary changes in environmental policies regarding the management of urban

waste. The goals was to elevate environmental awareness at schools and to improve the

conditions, quality of life and health of students and residents in general, as school waste is a

source of disease and latent pollution. Also To provide schools with the necessary tools to

achieve the objective, namely specialized training, educational materials and infrastructure in

line with the international standard, with a view to achieving the Zero Waste standard with at

least a 90 percent recovery of waste. The Zero Waste at My School project corresponds to the

plans and programs set out in the “Path to School Improvement” and “Quality School” initiatives

of the Ministry of Public Education, among others, that seek to foster the engaged participation

of students and teachers, and build environmental stewardship capacities. (Commission for

Environment Cooperation, 2011)

Responding to the call for a more environmentally responsible nation, the LGUs, in

cooperation with various institutions and NGOs throughout the Philippines, had engaged in

waste management programs at the community level. A number of these activities focused on

educating and training the Filipino youth about the proper solid waste management in their

respective schools. By harnessing the idealism of the youth, student leaders can influence their

fellow students and parents to become catalyst for change not only in their schools but also in

their communities. (Aguinaldo, 2008)

One of the programs of the government is the National Eco-saver Program (NEP). The

program is a recycling campaign launched by the government in 2012 in a bid to reduce

garbage from schools and households through the establishment of an ecological solid waste

recovery system in every school, which would allow public elementary and high school students

to earn money or get free school items when they bring in their recyclables. An incentive

mechanism was created under the program where students are issued passbooks to record the

credit points they earn from their recyclable and biodegradable materials. The recyclables are

then pooled for final collection by accredited junk shops and recyclers. (Orosa, 2015)
Synthesis

According to (Salidad and Francisco, 2012), students’ awareness about environmental

problems and solutions can be increased through education. That, it is expected that waste

management activities in the school involve students as part of their learning process. The skills

and knowledge gained from environmental education would help them in changing human

behavior towards the environment. Students with some knowledge and skills on environmental

education are more motivated to take part in environmental protection activities and plans.

Thus, would generate new ideas for the solution of environmental problems. Sharing new

information from their activities with families, other adults, and community probably will have

some positive implications on solid waste management.

Programs were implemented to promote attitude and actively pursuing sustainable

environmental practices among the students. The attempt to encourage, through education and

awareness on managing solid waste in the school that have been implemented will show good

and encouraging result, as long as the persons and organization have the ability to assimilate

and interpret the knowledge about the proper waste management (Atienza, V.A, 2008).