In my childhood days, there were bote-dyaryo-garapa scrap buyers in pushcarts that go around the neighborhood regularly. Old newspapers are bought by dangkal, empty bottles are priced per piece and scrap metals by the kilo. There’s also one ice drop vendor who accepts recyclables in exchange for his product. I can still remember his face.
There were no garbage trucks or barangay haulers back then. Those roving scrap traders and the junkshops are an essential part of the old waste management system. Residual waste is buried in the backyard. This practice was okay back then because there were no disposable plastics yet. Almost everything is biodegradable.
As population grew and urbanization sweeps in, garbage disposal became a problem. Open dumpsites proliferated. Though unsanitary, they became a source of livelihood for waste pickers and scavengers. They are unsafe too. On July 10, 2000, a huge garbage dump in Payatas, Quezon City collapsed, killing hundreds of people, mostly scavengers who were living around the area.
With the passage of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, open dumpsites were gradually phased out. Scavengers lost their primary source of income. Many resorted to picking waste from garbage cans, small dumps, fastfood chains and commercial establishments.
Following the enactment of Republic Act 11898 or the EPR Act of 2022, the role of wastepickers comes to light again. This new law requires companies to recover or offset their plastic waste. One of the options mentioned in the law is partnership with local government units (LGUs), communities, and the informal waste sectors.
With this development, DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga wants to empower waste pickers by improving their livelihood and ensuring their full integration into the solid waste management sector. The Secretary acknowledged them as a critical and essential part of the supply chain. While they play a key role in waste management and segregation, they are often not included in discussions on policies to improve their lives and livelihoods.
To help waste pickers, Secretary Loyzaga said there is a need to partner with LGUs in rolling out financial literacy programs and to build their skills for entrepreneurship and other types of activities in order for them to build capital to transform their current situation.
The Secretary did not mention assistance to junkshops. They are also an important part of the solid waste management system. Many of them have also unhealthy and unsafe working conditions, especially the small ones. They need help too.
It's about time that the informal waste sector gets the support of government. Their contribution to the environment is unappreciated. These people are recycling heroes.