Monday, January 29, 2007 Waste less, start composting
SANITARY landfills are not only costly, but also do more damage to the environment than other, cheaper garbage management solutions, an American environmentalist said yesterday.
The environmentally friendly and less expensive method is still the composting of organic waste, after these are segregated from recyclable materials, said Peter Anderson, a consultant of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
He cited studies in the United States that show decaying organic material, such as leftover food, and household chemicals account for about 10 percent of the global warming problem. Anderson addressed a forum at the University of Cebu yesterday on zero-waste alternatives to the use of sanitary landfills.
When covered with lining in a landfill and left to decompose, the deposited organic material accumulates methane gas, which is disastrous to the climate, he pointed out.
“You cannot step on the problem and just stare at it,” Anderson told Sun.Star Cebu when asked to comment on Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act. This law requires a sanitary landfill to be maintained by local governments.
“Even countries in Europe have realized that it is worsening the situation and slowly causing a climate catastrophe,” he said.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 recommended last year to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines the filing of charges against 10 local government units in Central Visayas, including the cities of Mandaue, Toledo and Danao, for their failure to comply with RA 9003.
That law banned open dumps after Feb. 16, 2001 and required the use of sanitary landfills. It also required the construction in each barangay of a materials recovery facility, where wastes can be composted.
EMB records showed that of 12 cities and 120 towns in Central Visayas, only Cebu City, Dalaguete town and Bais City in Oriental Negros have sanitary landfills. (AIV)
