TYPHOON Ompong brought in unpredictable weather over the weekend of the International Coastal Cleanup and National Cleanup Day, and so many of these celebrations got postponed to later dates this week. As we clean up our streets, rivers, and beaches, let us reflect on why one very basic solid waste management practice is “segregation at source.”
Perhaps the first thing we need to discuss is the perpetual passing on of blame when it comes to managing trash. All perspectives are important, so we can start with the clamor for strong leadership to implement existing laws and ordinances. We need to acknowledge that people on the ground expect that their local governments will manage waste properly through effective collection, budget allocation, infrastructure development, and enforcement, among others.
We also need to hear out what local authorities are saying, that it is difficult to enforce proper solid waste management because communities lack the education and discipline to comply with practices like “No Segregation, No Collection.”
Then a common response to this is “The city garbage collectors will just mix all the waste we’ve sorted, so what’s the use?” This will begin a cycle of finding faults, and it can even go as deep as a philosophical discussion of the downfalls of capitalism, or the ever infamous dirty politics of garbage. And then at one point, someone will suggest “Why don’t we just ship the plastic waste to the manufacturers’ offices?” and this would lead to technical terms like “extended producer responsibility” and “circular economy,” while still passing on the blame to other than ourselves.
So while policies or accountability are being debated, we have a law that binds us all citizens to manage our waste at source, meaning from our own homes, schools, workplace, businesses and barangays. “At source” means the phase before wastes are being collected (with varying efficiencies) by local governments. This is why we need to do both actions: (1) Extending pressure for local executives towards a better collection and disposal facility i.e. an EMB-compliant Sanitary Landfill, and (2) To be fully aware that the dumpsites we are complaining about are actually our own doing, too, because our trash goes there.
I think that’s the first insight we can reflect on: Our goal for segregation is to reduce the waste that has to be collected by local governments because that service requires infrastructure, manpower, and many other resources. A landfill also has a limit or capacity, and we cannot easily afford (or prove that we can afford) building new ones. Today in this column, I will share some segregation practices that may be practical for our households and communities, and invite discussions if you think there are better ways.
1. Nabubulok / Madunot / Biodegradable
We need to realize that this category should be focused on biodegradable waste that can be composted. These are organic material like leaves, branches, fruit peelings, and even animal waste that can be gathered in a household or community compost. There should be no kitchen scraps or “cooked food” mixed here. Interestingly, kitchen or food waste are core contaminants of all other solid waste, even in its own category for “biodegradable.”
First of all, we shouldn’t be really wasting any food because production is too valuable. So I feel as a practice, we should have the bin for “nabubulok” (biodegradable) labeled “compostable” too, to remind us whatever we put in there should turn into compost (using worms would be good!), something that we can return to the soil for nutrients or for fertilizing plants. And what about food waste? We need to put an effort to consume all food that was cooked, and perhaps find a “damog” collector or someone who has pigs to feed with the leftovers. Not the best way for purists, but this is already a system in many communities in the country.
Also, “compostable” waste may be managed from the community level, at a composting facility at the barangay’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). The barangay can even create a vegetable garden around it and as a public green space. But if the barangay has more concrete than space for soil, then we can explore urban gardening techniques or the use of compost bins, as long as there is a will to provide a place for managing biodegradable waste. SLFs would have composting facilities, too, but if at the barangay level this is already managed, it can also be a source of income and positive energy for the community.
2. Nabebenta / Mapuslan / Recyclable
We need to segregate recyclables like pet and glass bottles, tin cans, cardboards, uncrumpled paper, and fabric because there is still value for them to become new raw material. We need to convene with our barangays, trace the recyclables value chain (who buys what materials and where/how to send them), and even design a business plan for collecting recyclables. We know there are already informal waste collectors around us, we perhaps need to organize them and capacitate them to maximize their operations. Big businesses like SM City Bacolod schedule a day once a month where its customers can bring recyclables in exchange for some cash.
One thing that we need to emphasize that recyclables should not be contaminated by food or liquids when we turn them over to our Recyclable bins or the MRF. We ourselves need to clean and dry all waste we know can be returned or sold, that each of them is freed from any particles that can attract pests or cause foul odors.
3. Hindi Nabubulok / Hindi Mapuslan / Non-Biodegradable Residual
These are all the waste we produce that can no longer become raw material for other processes. Mostly, these are single-use plastic like sachets for our daily coffee, shampoo, and cooking condiments. These also include plastic sando bags, drinking straws, sanitary napkins, diapers, or any packaging for processed food. I feel our goal should be to reduce whatever we throw into this bin because these will sure be deposited to a landfill that’s (almost) forever. Some places in this world label the Residual bin as “landfill” to remind people they are contributing to the piling trash there.
4. Special Waste / Hazardous Waste
There are other categories like Special or Hazardous Waste like hospital waste, batteries, light bulbs, electronic waste (e-waste), and we can continue talking about handling those in the next column.
I ran out of space for today, but I invite those who have read through this to send me feedback on how we can all practice segregation at source unless you do not wish to comply with the law and pass on the blame to others.