Entrep students join SWMO waste segregation drive

By Missy Añonuevo, Angeline Benito, and Jeremy Medrano

(To gain support from local entrepreneurs for the campaign on waste segregation at source, the authors, who are Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship students, wish to help the LGU Naga’s Solid Waste Management Office (SWMO) promote its approaches. They emphasize that the business sector should not only focus on profits but also take responsibility for managing their solid waste disposal effectively as corporate social responsibility.)

“A cleaner Naga City with an upgraded and functional waste disposal system,” is the vision of Naga City's SWMO. According to Engr. Joel Martin, head of the SWMO, they collect 120-130 tons of waste daily from households, residential, industrial, commercial, and business establishments in the city.

RA No. 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, establishes a policy framework for solid waste management. This act mandates local government units (LGUs), including barangays, to cooperate in waste segregation.

Edgar Sanorjo, administrative officer IV at SWMO, said that the SWMO is responsible for collecting residual waste for disposal in sanitary landfills. Biodegradable waste should be managed by the barangay and directed to recovery facilities or composting areas, while recyclable waste should be processed into useful items.

He said some barangays in the city comply with the waste segregation and management system, but others do not, posing a significant challenge to achieving the city's waste reduction goals. Addressing this issue requires increased awareness and cooperation among all community members, highlighting the need for stricter enforcement and support from local authorities.

SWMO projects

It was learned from Martin that his office has launched several programs to reduce community and establishment waste while extending the lifespan of the sanitary landfill. A key project is the ten-year Solid Waste Management Plan, initiated in 2020, aiming to achieve its goals by 2030.

Approved by the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines, the plan aims to divert 75% of the city's waste, with only 25% going to the landfill. Currently, the SWMO has achieved approximately 60-65% diversion, with around 36% of waste still going to the landfill.

This leaves a six-year window to accomplish the project's objectives. The primary goal is to extend the sanitary landfill's lifespan from the current target of 10-15 years up to 20-30 years, as mentioned by Sanorjo.

The SWMO has created the Waste Diversion Activity program to reduce waste in Naga City. Thrift scraps (unsold garments) and tarpaulins are transformed into valuable crafts such as mops, rags, pencil cases, stuffed toys, and purses.

The SWMO collaborates with all ukay vendors in Naga City, who contribute unsold garments that are then picked up and brought to a small facility inside the SWMO. Workers transform these clothes into useful items such as rags, mops, pencil cases, fashion bags, and stuffed toys.

Another program involves the production of coconut fiber from the coconut waste of the city's coconut vendors. The SWMO collects this waste and repurposes it into coconut fiber, rope, and even a Christmas tree made from coconut fibers every Christmas season. They also utilize the coconut fiber as erosion control material in the sanitary landfill.

The Plastic Petroleum Fuel project, launched in April 2022, converts plastic waste into fuel. This initiative aims to benefit the informal waste sectors in Naga City and is submitted to DOST for further research and certification for mass production. This project offers city residents an alternative to gasoline for kitchen use.

The SWMO has banned the use of plastic as secondary packaging for wet goods, encouraging all business establishments in the city to switch to eco-friendly packaging materials to protect the environment.

“Circular Economy” Movement

The SWMO conducts an Information Education Campaign on the use of plastic and managing waste produced by business establishments. The SWMO sometimes calls the attention of business establishments in the city to check their compliance and efforts in reducing waste production.

RA 11898 – An Act Institutionalizing the Extended Producer Responsibility on Plastic Packaging Waste, amends Republic Act 9003, emphasizing corporate social responsibility to protect the environment by reducing plastic usage to prevent pollution in towns and cities.

A circular economy will help manage waste produced by manufacturers and business establishments, ensuring that waste materials circulate within business establishments. These initiatives will help lower the waste collected by the SWMO.

The SWMO plans to invite business establishments for a summit to collaborate on managing waste disposal, reduce waste production, and invite speakers to discuss the circular economy.

“Special Waste” Disposal

The SWMO identifies various types of waste such as regular waste, medical waste, industrial waste, mirror scraps, and window glasses as special waste. The truck that collects and loads the regular waste is different from the truck that collects the other waste.

Martin aid that SWMO can collect the special, medical, and industrial waste, however it needs to be requested at their office. “All waste that is useful is kept in the barangay to be recycled for more useful things, while all waste that is not useful are collected by the SWMO to dispose in the sanitary landfill,” he said.

Medical wastes are not disposed of directly by the hospitals without undergoing proper treatment before collected by the SWMO. Medical waste is considered as hazardous materials, as well as those from households, such as batteries and bulbs, and taken to the sanitary landfill.

The SWMO has septic volts in the sanitary landfill for disposal of the hazardous waste. The Waste Analysis and Characterization Study handles is in monitoring how many tons they collected in medical and hazardous waste.

UPCYCLED CREATIONS Photos show colorful and valuable products made from non-biodegradable waste.