Reviewer for Track 2 Prelims PDF

Coverage of prelim exam: RA9003 ○ AN ACT PROVIDING FOR AN ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, CREATING THE NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS AND INCENTIVES, DECLARING CERTAIN ACTS PROHIBITED AND PROVIDING PENALTIES, APPROPRIATING...

Coverage of prelim exam: RA9003 ○ AN ACT PROVIDING FOR AN ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, CREATING THE NECESSARY INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS AND INCENTIVES, DECLARING CERTAIN ACTS PROHIBITED AND PROVIDING PENALTIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. National Solid Waste Management Status Report (2008-2019) Challenge: Solid waste management remain a critical issue in the Philippines Focus: ○ Status if implementation ○ Assessment of management practices ○ Overview of solid waste management in the country Introduction The Philippines ranks among the top waster producers in Southeast Asia and leading contributor to plastic pollution in the oceans. Reason: ○ Low recycling rates ○ Challenges in waste collection ○ Inconsistent plastic packaging segregation by LGU Filipinos consume around 20 kg of plastic packaging annually (2020 World Wildlife Fund Report) ○ 15.43 kg ends up as waste Philippines has limited capacity to recycle both high value and low value plastics ○ Repurposed - 9% ○ Collected - 33% Section 1: ○ We need to understand the composition and sources of solid wastes, waste generation rates and waste projection in order to understand the solid waste condition of the Philippines. Section 1.1: Source and composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) ○ Waste analysis and characterization studies - use to statistically determine the amount, composition and sources of solid wastes. ○ Types of waste sources: Residential, Commercial, Institutional, Industrial ○ Institutional - schools and hospitals ○ Commercial - restaurants, barbers, bookstores and school supplies, clothes stores, bars, coffee shops etc. ○ Industrial - factories, residential are houses ○ EMB Regional offices and submitted Solid Waste Management Plans provides the information of MSW  ○ Special wastes: ○ Household healthcare waste ○ Waste electrical and electronic Equipment ○ Bulky wastes ○ Other hazardous materials ○ Residual wastes: Combination of disposable waste, 12% Inert materials Section 1.2: Waste Generation Rates ○ The rate of change of the quantity of solid generation concerning time. ○ Influenced by various factors such as geographic location, climate, living conditions, and economic standard Section 1.3: Waste projection The figure shows that the yearly amount of waste in the country is expected to increase from 13.48 million tons in 2010 to 14.66 million tons in 2014 to 18.05 million tons in 2020. On the other hand, Metro Manila’s waste generation continues to increase as it contributes 22.2%, 24.5% and 26.7% to the country’s solid waste in the years 2010, 2014 and 2020, respectively. Section 2: Solid waste impacts on health and the environment ○ Leachate from solid waste can contaminate groundwater tables and surface waters. ○ Insects and pests in open dumpsites are disease vectors. ○ Methane gases from dumpsites can affect the health of exposed populations and contribute to global warming. ○ Coastal and marine litter affects aesthetics, causes pollution, and harms marine organisms. ○ Improperly managed solid wastes also can result in increased flooding and destruction of infrastructures due to clogged waterways.  Section 3: Ecological Solid Waste Management: status of implementation of Republic Act 9003 The most preferred option is waste avoidance and reduction where the ultimate goal is to reduce the amount of materials entering the waste stream. Apart from avoidance, achieving this goal involves product reuse, increased product durability, reduced material use in production and decreased consumption. ○ Waste Reduction technique: Green Procurement Eco-Labeling Non-environmentally Acceptable products 3Rs ○ Technical Working Committee (TWC) - work on the phasing out of NEA products and packaging materials.  Product categories : plastics, construction materials, baby products and electronics ○ Industrial Technology and Development Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (ITDI-DOST) - conducted a study to determine the non-environmental acceptability of products or packaging material and life cycle assessment (LCA) of the products ○ Impacts of plastic, paper, and non-woven polypropylene (PP) carrying bags in the Philippines. Non-Woven PP provides the least impact among the options evaluated Based on the cost of remediation, the flooding contribution of paper bags compared to plastic is higher. It must be however that the approach adopted is limited in scope due to the availability of cost and waste data Plastic bags are more environmentally desirable compared to paper in all impact areas. This is primarily traced to their lower material quantity used. ○ Shopping mall giants like SM Group, Ayala Malls and Robinson’s Supermarket continually promote the reuse, reduction and recycling (3R) of waste through their eco-shopping bag program and their monthly waste markets and recyclers’ fairs nationwide. ○ Unilever Philippines’ “Project Eliminate” enabled their plant and offices to reduce trash by 50% ○ Nestlé Philippines’ “Waste to Resource” project enabled the composting of coffee grounds. ○ Coca-cola Bottlers Philippines’ “Give a Can, Give a Hope” program works with Tahanang Walang Hagdanan as a partner and beneficiary in recycling. ○ Industrial Waste Exchange Program managed by Philippine Business for the Environment acts as a clearinghouse and matching agent for waste generators and buyers. ○ Eco Index in Region IV-A organizes regular Resource Recovery Events that allow waste generators to bring in their recyclables/waste products to invited recyclers and waste users. ○ EMB’s main partner in environmental education and recycling promotion are the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines and other local stakeholders. ○ Section 3.4: Recovery and processing ○ Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)- designed to receive, sort, process and store compostable and recyclable material efficiently and in an environmentally sound manner. There are also mobile and gravity-driven, centralized MRFs. ○ MRF(ppt) - A facility where recyclable municipal solid waste is processed and separated using manual and/or mechanical methods. The recovered materials may include paper, glass, plastics, and metals,the remaining residual wastes are then disposed of into a sanitary landfill, the biodegradable components can be processed into compost in another facility. ○ Composting - biological decomposition of biodegradable solid waste under controlled predominantly aerobic conditions to a state that is sufficiently stable for nuisance-free storage and handling and is satisfactorily matured for safe use in agriculture. Types of composting: Compost pits - simple structures or designated areas used for composting organic waste materials. One of the easiest and most traditional methods for home composting. Tire towers - Similar to a compost pits, the compost is set aside on a designated location. The compost is stored in a pile of old tires or what call a “Tire tower Windrows - large-scale composting method commonly used for processing organic waste, such as agricultural residues, yard trimmings, and municipal solid waste The process involves forming organic materials into long, narrow piles, called windrows, which are turned regularly to facilitate aerobic decomposition. In-vessel - Composting organic waste within a closed, controlled environment, typically in a container, drum, or other enclosed systems In vessel composting can be agitated beds, composting silos, and rotating drum bioreactors. Vermicomposting - Vermicomposting is a method of composting that uses earthworms, particularly species like Eisenia fetida (commonly known as red wigglers), to break down organic waste into nutrient-rich compost, Highly efficient and is popular for both small-scale household composting and larger-scale commercial operations. ○ Composting Techniques Reduction of organic wastes by 50% - Composting leads to a positive impact to the environment as it reduces the organic waste produced by 50 % or more and about 70-80% for vermicomposting. ○ Recycling Recycling may either be a component of an MRF or established as a stand-alone processing facility. Recyclables, particularly those with high commercial value such as paper, scrap metals and plastics are typically sold to junk dealers, consolidators and recyclers. Climate Change Mitigation - Recycling helps lower the amount of greenhouse gases released during the manufacturing of materials. Preserving forests, by recycling paper and cardboard helps store carbon dioxide as a means of carbon sequestration CO2 sequestration - the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide Resource Conservation - Limited resources are a part of our consumption. Metals and minerals, alongside fuels are not readily replenished and require millions of years to regenerate. Less dependence, on extraction and processing is achieved through recycling that prolongs the lifespan of these resources. ○ Disposal  Disposal is the discharge, deposit, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any solid waste into or in any land while disposal sites refer to areas where solid waste is finally discharged and deposited. Dumpsites are raw, open spaces designated as local disposal areas that lack engineering measures and pollution control systems. RA 9003 prohibits the establishment and operation of open dumps or any practice or disposal involving the use of open dumps. Open dumps, however, were allowed to be converted into controlled dumps only until 2006 as a temporary and remedial measure. ○ Sanitary landfills a waste disposal site designed, constructed, operated and maintained in a manner that exerts engineering control over significant potential environmental impacts arising from the development and operation of the facility. Disposal facilities with impermeable liners to prevent liquid discharges from polluting ground and surface waters. the minimum requirements for the establishment of SLFs: a landfill liner system, leachate collection and treatment, gas control recovery system, groundwater monitoring wells, a daily cover during operations and final cap over the completely filled landfill, and a closure and post-closure maintenance procedure. high-density polyethylene (HDPE) - the standard material for preventing water leakage in landfill cells. ○ Clustered landfills - Clustering is an option in which small LGUs can pool their resources into setting up a common solid waste disposal facility. ○ Resources that are not readily replenished. Open dumpsites, landfills, HDPE in landfills