Friday, February 01, 2008 Peña: Update on RA 9003 By Rox Peña E-ssue
LAST week I attended a 2-day recycling seminar, symposium and exhibition at the SM Megamall.
The event is part of the project called "Recycling Industry Development in the Philippines" headed by the Board of Investments (BOI) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
The study which started in July 2006, aims to formulate a nationwide master plan to help the Philippines develop its recycling industry.
Recycling market development is one of the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003, the law on Ecological Solid Waste Management.
The DTI along with other agencies of government, are mandated to carry out this task.
Representatives from the recycling industries participated in the study primarily to provide technical inputs. I sit in the technical committee on paper recycling.
The exhibition, held at the Mega Trade Hall 3, featured the different recycling technologies in the Philippines as well as technologies for handling residual waste.
The Recycling Foundation Incorporated (RFI) which I chair was given a booth.
We showcased our handmade paper products and other handicrafts from recycled materials.
The symposium, which was only by invitation, featured the results of the ongoing study.
Updates were also presented on the pilot studies on Mobile Plastic Collection and Recycling undertaken by the Philippine Plastics Industry Association and Cell phone Waste Collection and Recycling which was handled by Sagip Environment, non-government organizations.
Best practices in solid waste management and recycling technologies for residual waste were presented by their implementers namely; the experience Teresa, Rizal, a model for LGU, presented by their Mayor; the recycling of "sando" bags (thin plastic bags) by Benson Tang, the
President of the Metro Plastics Recycling Association, Inc.; recycling of Doy Packs (containers for Zesto, Funchum, Big, etc.) by the President of Kilus Foundation; and recycling of Tetra-Pak beverage cartons by Tetra-Pak Philippines.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the ITDI presented a system for recycling of "styropor" and a portable biogas digester for kitchen waste.
The digester, a small composting system for homes, is designed to harness the methane produced by the biodegradation of organic waste.
The bio-gas can be used as replacement for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). The cost of the unit is only P 9,000. This is a remarkable invention considering it addresses both the garbage problem and the rising cost of LPG.
The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSMWC), the body created to lead the implementation of RA 9003, presented the current initiatives of the government in the promotion of recycling in the Philippines.
Updates on the implementation of the law were presented. The highlights are: 1) From the time RA 9003 was implemented, recycling rate in the Philippines rose from six to 28 percent. 2) Recyclables Collection Event (RCE), a venue for selling recyclable materials which started as an Earth Day activity several years go, has now spread to other provinces. 3) Waste Markets- an off-shoot of RCE, is now regularly held in all Ayala Malls and SM Super malls nationwide. SM Clark will hold a waste market tomorrow, February 1. 4) Eco-labelling Program, also a provision of RA 9003, is now ongoing under the leadership of the DTI and NSWMC. The NGO group Clean and Green Foundation is managing the program. 5) Sectoral and industry consultations on the controversial provision of RA 9003, the formulation of guidelines for "Non-Environmentally Acceptable Products and Packaging", is late but ongoing.
Other updates include the Industrial Waste Exchange Program and the challenges faced by the government in promoting the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle).
An informative 35-minute video about Recycling in the Philippines was produced as part of the study, and a book on the same subject will soon be published.
