Pena: Earth Day 2021

THIS April 22nd will be the 51st Earth Day celebration. Like last year, the events will most likely be held virtually due to strict health protocols in many countries, including the Philippines. The theme for this year is “Restore our Earth.”

Global environmental issues like climate change and environmental destruction are always on the Earth Day agenda. However, this year, I feel that there are pressing issues at hand, which are related to the Covid-19 pandemic that must also be addressed, especially here in the Philippines. They may be considered short-term concerns, but failure to address them may lead to more serious consequences.

Foremost is the safe disposal of facemasks. Some studies estimate that around 129 billion face masks are used globally every month. If every Filipino will use one disposable face masks every day, that’s a hundred million a day and three billion a month. Where will all those facemasks go? Ideally, used facemasks should not be mixed with ordinary household waste and should be treated as special waste. They require special handling and disposal.

Used facemasks are not only health hazards but also a threat to the environment. Most disposable facemasks are made from plastic microfibers. A month ago, divers have discovered facemasks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) entangled in the reefs at the popular dive spot of Anilao in Batangas.

Next concern is the disposal of vaccine-related waste such as syringes and vials. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assured the public of the establishment of guidelines and procedures for the proper disposal of medical vials and syringes used for coronavirus vaccine injections.

DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny D. Antiporda pointed out that “ there is already an existing set of guidelines on managing hazardous waste as stated in the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) memorandum circulars (MC) 2020-14, 2020-15 and 2020-16 on the issuance of Special Permit to Transport for the treatment and disposal of healthcare wastes." A check on the EMB website also shows one more Covid-related MC, 2020-20. It’s now a matter of following and enforcing these guidelines.

Usec. Antiporda said that one of the requirements in the memo is to monitor the healthcare wastes coming from healthcare institutions as well as Covid-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)-designated quarantine facilities. At present, there is a system for monitoring hospitals through the reports of their Pollution Control Officers (PCOs). However, quarantine facilities do not have PCOs. They are usually managed by local government units (LGUs). I hope the environmental officers of the LGUs are following the EMB guidelines.

Happy Earth Day everyone! Let’s do our share in restoring our Earth.