Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Malig: Non-biodegradable pits in backyard pits? By Jun A. Malig Cognition
IT SEEMS the garbage problem besetting the highly urbanized City of Angeles has prompted its local government to encourage residents to dig pits at the back of their houses for their non-biodegradable wastes.
While discouraging residents to refrain from burning residual wastes, including plastic materials, as the practice contributes to global warming and depletion of the Earth's ozone layers, this city's Environmental Management System division under the Office of the Mayor encourages burying of residual wastes in the backyard.
Although it is illegal in many countries like the United States to bury non-biodegradable wastes in a backyard pit, such is not among the "prohibited acts" listed under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
"Ang mga walang silbi o residwal (waste) ay mangyari din po lamang gumawa ng pit sa likuran ng ating mga kabahayan upang isilid ang mga ito kung tayo ay may espasyo sa ating mga bakuran," a letter to village folk of Barangay Tabun signed by public service supervisor Ederlinda Valencia and Mayor Francis Nepomuceno dated August 2 stated.
If residents do not have backyards or spaces for pits, the letter said wastes would be collected by the city to be brought to the materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and eventually to a sanitary landfill.
The letter explained to residents that since the closure by the National Anti-Environmental Crime Task Force of the Office of the President and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of this city's official dumpsite in Barangay Cuayan last February 23, the city has been facing garbage problem.
As a solution, it said the city started last August 16 transporting about 71 tons of residual wastes per day to the German-operated sanitary landfill in Kalangitan, Capas, Tarlac where a tipping fee of P800 per ton or P56,000 per day is being paid by the City Government.
City officials have been asking residents to reduce their garbage, recycle materials, and compost biodegradable wastes to help solve the city's garbage woes.
Republic Act (RA) 9003 prohibits burying of both biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes only in "flood-prone areas." It also prohibits indiscriminate littering or dumping of wastes, open burning of solid wastes, and squatting in open dumps and landfills.
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In the Philippines, local government units are still in the process of initially abiding by the provisions of RA 9003. The citizenry in general still need to be informed or educated in terms of complying with the law. They still need to know how to properly segregate and compost wastes.
But in the United States -- Pennsylvania, for example, where Act 101 or the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act is being enforced -- even simple trashing of fast-food bags by motorists into a trash can of a gas station is against the law. It is considered theft of services to dump your trash anywhere it does not belong -- and "anywhere" in this case includes somebody else's garbage can.
If you got your fast-food bag from McDonald's, you should dump it into the trashcan of McDonald's or you may throw it into your home garbage can.
Under our very own RA 9003 what is only considered as prohibited act is: "Littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places, such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment, or causing or permitting the same."
RA 9003, which is a consolidation of House Bill 10651 and Senate Bill 1595 was approved by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Jan. 26, 2001. This is the sixth year of the law and, by this time, all local government units are expected to fully comply with its provisions -- including the prohibition against the use of open and controlled dumps for solid waste starting 2007.
