A DAVAO City-based environmental group strongly opposed the move to amend Republic Act (RA) 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, to allow “waste-to-energy” incineration technologies, and called on lawmakers to defend the incineration ban.
Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (Idis) said it rejects the narrative that incineration is a necessary response to urbanization and landfill shortages.
This came after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) expressed support for revisiting RA 9003, which Idis said is a dangerous step backward that undermines environmental protection, public health, and climate responsibility.
RA 9003 was enacted to shift the Philippines way from disposal-oriented and end-of-the-pipe solutions. It aims to direct the nation to sustainable practices such as serration at the source, reuse, recycling, and composting.
The group stressed that RA 9003 has neither been fully nor faithfully implemented, citing the continued neglect of barangay-level waste segregation, the establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), waste reduction, composting, and recycling, all of which are mandated by law.
Idis said that failures in solid waste management are not failures of the law but failures of implementation, political will, and accountability — particularly on the part of local government units (LGUs).
The group said that allowing incineration under the guise of “new technology” is a false solution. Instead of addressing root problems such as weak enforcement, lack of political will, underfunded local systems, and poor accountability, incineration merely treats the symptoms and not the underlying issues. By investing in incineration, the government would be locking communities into expensive, centralized, and environmentally risky infrastructure.
The group added that most waste in the Philippines is biodegradable, meaning it is unsuitable for incineration. These biodegradable wastes can instead be managed through composting and diversion strategies.
Idis also reminded the DENR and the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) that they have not published a comprehensive list of Non-Environmentally Acceptable Products (NEAPs), as required by RA 9003. The group said this has long been overdue and is critical to enforcing the law. This regulatory tool would be used to phase out environmentally harmful products and packaging.
Defend ban on incineration
Idis called on the DENR, lawmakers, and local governments to defend the incineration ban under RA 9003 and the Clean Air Act, stressing the need for the full implementation of ecological solid waste management and the publication and enforcement of the NEAP list.
The group said the government should invest in zero-waste, climate-safe, and community-based solutions while protecting the health, livelihoods, and rights of communities and waste workers.
“Incineration is not progress. Ecological and people-centered waste management is,” Idis said in their statement on January 28, 2026.
Idis said the recent landfill collapse in Cebu City should serve as a wake-up call for the government to strengthen enforcement, improve planning, and ensure strong oversight. The group stressed that the incident should not be used as justification for incineration.
Reject incineration
The group cited DENR data showing that thousands of barangay-level Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) are still lacking and that waste segregation and diversion remain weak. These gaps, they said, highlight the need for full implementation of RA 9003 rather than diluting it.
“Amending the law exhausting its existing, proven solutions undermines the very purpose of the law,” the group said.
Idis emphasized that the problem is not that the law is outdated but that it has not been properly implemented. Weak compliance, they said, is not a reason to abandon ecological principles but a call to enforce them fully.
The group further said that investing public funds in incineration would divert resources away from proven, low-cost, community-based solutions such as waste reduction programs, composting systems, and support for the recycling sector.
Idis also raised concerns about the impact of incineration on workers. While the DENR has recognized the living conditions of around 100,000 informal waste workers nationwide, the group warned that incineration would threaten their livelihoods by reducing the availability of recyclable materials.
They also pointed out that “modern” incineration technologies produce toxic emissions, hazardous ash, and long-term health risks for nearby communities, particularly in urban areas where facilities would likely be located. These risks, the group said, violate the precautionary principle in Philippine environmental policy and the Clean Air Act’s prohibition against pollution through incineration. RGP