Solid Waste Management in the Philippines

Status of National Solid Waste Management in the Philippines

I. Introduction
II. Solid Waste Generation in the Philippines
III. Legal Mandate and Institutional Arrangements
IV. Solid Waste Management System
a. Waste Generation and Composition of Solid Waste
b. Waste Avoidance
c. Storage
d. Collection
e. Transfer and Transport
f. Processing and Recovery
g. Other SWM Processes and Technology
h. Disposal
V. Hazardous Waste

I. Introduction
The global community recognized that Solid Waste Management (SWM) is an issue that
requires serious attention. The aggressive pursuit for economic growth, by developing countries
like the Philippines, has resulted in the manufacture, distribution and use of products and
generation of wastes that contributes to environmental degradation and global climate change.
Available data showed that the Philippines is the 9th most among the countries at risk from climate
change due to rise of sea levels, intense storm surges and droughts. This is heavily manifested in
the frequent and intense floods the country is experiencing from devastating typhoons which, many
claim, are due to climate change. Along with the country’s economic progress, the rapid growth
in population has also made waste management a major environmental challenge for the country.
The Philippine National Statistics Office(NSO) estimated the country’a population in 2012 to be
around 97 million with an annual growth rate of 1.87%. According to this figure, the Philippines
is the 12th largest country in the world today

Definition of Terms:
Solid waste: any unwanted or discarded material we produce that is not a liquid or gas.

Municipal solid waste (MSW): produce directly from homes.

Industrial solid waste: produced indirectly by industries that supply people with goods and
services.
Hazardous (toxic) waste: threatens human health or the environment because it is toxic,
chemically active, corrosive or flammable

II. Solid Waste Generation in the Philippines

Waste generations by residents in the Philippines, especially in the urban areas, have
accelerated recently due to fast pace industrialization, urbanization and population growth. Since
incineration of solid waste is not allowed under Republic Act 9003 for the safety of human health
and protection of environment, land filling and the integrated waste management method (Reduce,
Reuse and Recycle) are the main types of SWM in the country. The law also requires the
mandatory segregation at source of solid waste into containers labeled as: compostable, recyclable,
non-recyclable, or special use.

Collection of waste in the country is done by the Department of Public Service, city
administrator and engineering office or private haulers. Informal waste sector is also involved in
the waste collection and storage in the country. They are the itinerant waste buyers, jumpers at
collection trucks, garbage crew, and small and illegal junkshops.

About 35,580 tons of garbage is generated every day in the Philippines. On the average, each
person in the country produces about 0.5 kg and 0.3 kg of garbage every day in the urban and rural
areas, respectively. For Metro Manila, it is estimated that 8,636 tons of garbage is generated per
day, i.e., 0.7 kg per person per day due to its more modernized lifestyle. The household is the major
source of waste in the Philippines at 74%. Moreover, of the total solid waste generated from
households, 95% can still be reused or recycled (43%), or turned into compost (52%). Only 5% is
made up of residuals (4%) and special/hazardous waste (1%) that are no longer usable or
biodegradable (JICA Waste Characterization Study, 1997).

Only 40-85% of the waste generated is collected nationwide, implying that 15-60% is
improperly disposed of or littered. The maximum collection rate of 85% is recorded in Metro
Manila. The uncollected garbage is, unfortunately, burned or dumped anywhere onto open areas,
called open dumps, adding to the now polluted air shed and water body, and global warming in
the country.

While recycling through the establishment of Municipal Recovery Facilities (MRF), that
includes waste transfer station, and composting and recycling facilities, is mandated under RA
9003, most Local Government Units (LGUs) do not comply with this mandate. Even though the
law requires the establishment of an MRF in every barangay or cluster of barangays, only about
21% or 8,843 barangays are being serviced by MRFs in the country. In Metro Manila, though,
compliance rate is slightly higher at 56% which is more than the national average. 7KH³6WXG\
on Recycling Industry Development in the Philippines by JICA and Bureau of Industry-Board of
Investment (BOI) showed that the limiting factors to the recovery of recyclables materials are the
concentration of recycling industries in selected areas, i.e., high cost of transporting recyclable
materials, and weakness of local recycling industries due to high operating costs.

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 A. Waste Generation

The Philippines’ waste generation continues to rise with the increase in population,
improvement of living standards, rapid economic growth, and industrialization especially in the
urban areas. The NSWMC calculated that from 37,427.46 tons per day in 2012, the country’s waste
generation steadily increased to 40,087.45 tons in 2016 with an estimated average per capita waste
generation of 0.40 kilograms per day for both urban and rural. The National Capital Region (NCR),
as expected, generated the biggest volume of wastes for the past five years due to its population
size, bigger number of establishments and modernized lifestyle. With an estimated population of
12 million people, Metropolitan Manila generated 9,212.92 tons per day of wastes in 2016. It is
followed by Region 4A with waste generation of 4,440.15 tons per day (11.08%) and Region 3
with 3,890.12 tons per day (9.70 %) (NSWC).

The World Bank (2012) , on the other hand, estimates that solid waste being produced by
Philippine cities will go up by 165 percent to 77,776 tons per day from 29,315 tons as a
consequence of a projected 47.3-percent hike in urban population by 2025 and a projected doubling
of municipal solid waste (MSW)3 generation per capita at 0.9 kilogram per day by 2025 from the
current 0.5 kilogram4 , presenting a direct correlation between the per capita level of income in
cities and the amount of waste per capita that is generated. This also indicates that the Philippines
is at the low end of waste generation in the region and among countries in its income bracket.

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 B. Waste Sources

Solid wastes are generated from residential, commercial, industrial and institutional
sources. Residential wastes accounts for more than half (57%) of the total solid wastes (e.g. kitchen
scraps, yard waste, paper and cardboards, glass bottles, etc.) Wastes from commercial sources,
which include commercial establishments and public/private markets, accounts for 27 percent.
Wastes from institutional sources such as government offices, educational and medical institutions
accounts for about 12 percent while the remaining 4 percent is waste coming from the industrial
or manufacturing sector (NSWMC).

C. Waste Composition

The country’s solid wastes typically contain more organic components than other
materials. According to NSWMC, disposed waste is dominated by biodegradable waste with 52
percent, followed by recyclable waste which accounts for 28 percent and residuals at 18 percent.
Biodegradable wastes come mostly from food waste and yard waste while recyclable wastes
include plastic packaging wastes, metals, glass, textile, leather and rubber. The significant shares
of biodegradables and recyclables indicate that composting and recycling have great potential in
reducing solid wastes.

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 D. Waste Collection

Under RA 9003, collection, transport and disposal of solid wastes are the responsibilities
of the local government units (LGUs). At present, most LGUs administer their own collection
systems or contract out this service to private contractors. In Metro Manila, the common types of
collection vehicles are open dump trucks and compactor trucks. Nationwide, about 40 to 85 percent
of the solid wastes generated is collected while in Metro Manila it is 85 percent. The poorer areas
of cities, municipalities, and rural barangays are typically unserved or under-served. Uncollected
waste ends up mostly in rivers, esteros and other water bodies, thus, polluting major water bodies
and clogging the drainage systems, which results to flooding during heavy rains (NSWMC). It is
interesting to note, however, that the 85 percent collection rate of Metro Manila is above the
average collection rate of other countries in the Philippines’ income bracket (around 69%) and
among East Asia and Pacific countries (around 72%).

The following are different techniques used in waste collection:

1. Door-to-Door Collection - Collectors move materials from house to house in the target
area to collect recyclables and sell them to dealers/junkshops.
2. Stationary Collection - This collection system utilizes MRFs in barangays that are set
up within or near the targeted collection area for the temporary storage of segregated
recyclables, which are brought to or picked up by collectors or junkshop dealers.
3. Waste Collection by Trucks - Garbage truck workers segregate recyclable materials
while collecting garbage from house to house, and sell them to the junkshops.

III. Legal Mandate and Institutional Arrangements

Waste management is a global issue intensified by the volume and complexity of domestic
and industrial waste discarded by society. Unmanaged solid waste became a perennial problem in
some countries. Over the last 12 years (1999 to 2010), the Philippines has endeavored to improve
its management and operation of solid waste through several national laws, rules, regulations,
orders, and memoranda on environment, including resolutions and ordinances issued by local
government units.

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1. The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003)

On January 26, 2001, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo approved Republic Act 9003
(RA 9003), otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, declaring
the policy of the government to “adopt a systematic, comprehensive, and ecological solid waste
management program” in the country.

The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) provides the legal
framework for the systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program of
the Philippines, which shall ensure protection of public health and the environment. It emphasizes
the need to create the necessary institutional mechanisms and incentives, and imposes penalties
for acts in violation of any of its provisions

The Republic Act 9003 specifically mandates all, especially the local government units, to
adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program which shall
ensure protection of public health and environment; utilize environmentally sound methods; set
targets and guidelines for solid waste avoidance and reduction; ensure proper segregation,
collection, transport and storage of solid waste.

The ecological solid waste management (ESWM) policy is based on the management of waste
in the following hierarchy:

a) Source reduction (avoidance) and minimization of waste generated at source

b) Reuse, recycling and resource recovery of wastes at the barangay level
c) Efficient collection, proper transfer, and transport of wastes by city/municipality
d) Efficient management of residuals and of final disposal sites and/or any other related
technologies for the destruction/reuse of residuals

Provided in RA 9003 and its IRR are mandates and schedules of implementation to be
undertaken by provincial, city/municipal, and barangay governments within their jurisdiction. The
most important of these include:

a. Creation of a Solid Waste Management (SWM) Board (city/municipal and provincial

levels)
b. Creation of a SWM Committee (barangay level)
c. Submission of a 10-year SWM Plan (city/municipal levels)
d. Establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) per barangay or cluster of
barangays and city/municipal centralized MRF
e. Closure of open dumpsites and conversion into controlled dumpsites by 2004
(city/municipal levels)
f. Banning of controlled dumpsites by 2006 (city/municipal levels)

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2. The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010

In relation to Climate Change program, the DRRM Law supports the 3 R’s of SWM in
promoting to consumer’s avoidance of using the disposable and unnecessary products in order to
avoid or reduce the solid wastes generated by households, commercials, institutional, industries
and all levels of stakeholders. The enactment and promulgation of some national laws stated above
were based on international protocols and conventions, such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Basel
Convention, and the Stockholm Convention.

3. Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol was a treaty adopted on December 11, 1997 and entered into force on
February 16, 2005. The Philippines was one of the countries that signed said treaty. Under the
treaty, countries must meet their targets primarily through national measures. However, the Kyoto
Protocol offers them an additional means of meeting their targets by way of three market-based
mechanisms. The Climate Change Commission is the primary agency responsible in implementing
these mechanisms. The Kyoto mechanisms are: x Emissions trading – known as “the carbon
market" x Clean development mechanism (CDM) x Joint implementation (JI)

4. Basel Convention

Under the treaty, countries must meet their targets primarily through national measures.
However, the Kyoto Protocol offers them an additional means of meeting their targets by way of
three market-based mechanisms. The Climate Change Commission is the primary agency
responsible in implementing these mechanisms. The Kyoto mechanisms are: x Emissions trading
– known as “the carbon market" x Clean development mechanism (CDM) x Joint implementation
(JI).

5. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international

environmental treaty signed in 2001 and took effect in May 2004. It aims to eliminate or restrict
the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

In 1995, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
called for global action to be taken on POPs, which it defined as "chemical substances that persist
in the environment, bio-accumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse
effects to human health and the environment."

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Relevant Laws that Support the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act

1. Republic Act No. 6969 (Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Act of
1990). The act calls for the regulation of and restriction on the importation, manufacture,
processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures that pose
risk and/or injury to health and to the natural environment. It prohibits the entry, transport
and disposal of hazardous and nuclear wastes into the Philippine territory. It also mandates
to provide advanced studies and research on toxic chemicals.

2. Republic Act No. 7160 (Local Government Code (LGC) of 1991). The act devolved
certain powers to the local governments units, including enforcement of laws and cleanliness
and sanitation, solid waste management, and other environmental matters.

3. Republic Act No. 9512 (Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008). The act
promotes environmental awareness through environmental education. It integrates
environmental education in the school curricula at all levels, public or private, barangay day
care and pre-school, and non-formal, vocational, and indigenous learning.

4. Republic Act (RA) 9729 (Climate Change Act of 2009). Approved on October 23, 2009,
the act declares as a Philippine policy the adoption of the ultimate objective of the UNFCC
convention, which is the stabilization of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere at
a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system.

5. Republic Act No. 10068 (Organic Agriculture Act of 2010). The act establishes a
comprehensive organic farming program that includes incentives for farmers engaged in the
production of agricultural crops free from harmful chemical pesticides and fertilizer. The
new law, signed on April 6, 2010 also created a National Organic Agricultural Board
(NOAB) to provide policy direction towards the promotion of organic farming in a bid to
promote a healthier citizenry and an environment-friendly atmosphere.

6. Presidential Decree No. 856 (Code of Sanitation of the Philippines). The decree
prescribes sanitation requirements for hospitals, markets, ports, airports, vessels, aircraft,
food establishments, buildings, and other establishments. Refuse collection and disposal
system in cities and municipalities are described in Chapter XVIII of the law.

7. Presidential Decree No. 1151 (Philippine Environment Policy). The decree directs all
national government agencies and their instrumentalities, government and private
corporations, entities, and firms to accomplish and submit Environmental Impact Statements
(EIS) for every action, project or undertaking that significantly affects the quality of the
environment.

8. Presidential Decree No. 1586 (Environmental Impact Assessment Law). Approved on

June 11, 1978, the law establishes and institutionalizes an environmental impact system
where projects to be undertaken would be reconciled with the requirements of environmental
quality. This requires proponents of critical projects and projects located in critical areas to

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 secure an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) from the President or his duly
authorized representative. The inclusion of the construction of Sanitary Landfills (SLF) as a
critical project was done later.

9. Presidential Decree No. 1160. The law vests authority in Barangay Captains (Barangay
Chairmen) to enforce pollution and environmental control laws. It also deputizes the
Barangay Councilman and Barangay Zone Chairman as peace officers.

IV. Solid Waste Management

Waste Generation to Waste Disposal

Waste management practices differ between developed and developing countries, even
between urban and rural areas, upland and lowland areas, as well as residential and
nonresidential/industrial producers. The difference also lies as to who takes responsibility for the
types of waste produced, e.g., domestic and non-hazardous waste versus the hazardous and
commercial/industrial waste. The former is usually the responsibility of local government
authorities, while the latter is the sole responsibility of the generator or producer.

In the Philippines, solid waste is an indication of urbanization. Cities usually generate more
waste compared to the rural areas. Metro Manila, for example, generates almost a quarter of the
country’s total waste generation (WB, 2001). SWM remains to be one of the biggest challenges
the country faces today.

Solid Waste Management Framework

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 1. Avoidance/Refuse

Waste avoidance is given little importance in the waste management programs of LGUs,
even as it is the first preferred option in the waste management hierarchy. Collection and disposal
remain the primary focus of SWM programs.

Avoidance refers to an action to reduce the amount of waste generated by households,

industry, and all levels of government. It is the most important but challenging component in the
waste management hierarchy. The key to a successful waste avoidance program is a change in the
people’s attitude.

2. Reduce

When you reduce the amount of waste you throw away, you save landfill space, save raw
materials and natural resources such as energy and water, and save money. We can easily reduce
the amount of waste we produce using some simple steps:

- Always take your own shopping bags and say ‘no’ to plastic bags at the supermarket
- Choose products with minimal packaging, and avoid individually wrapped products
- Buy products in reusable, refillable or recyclable packaging
- Avoid packaging fruit and vegetables in plastic bags
- Avoid disposable items such as paper serviettes, towels and tissues

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 - Buy long-lasting kitchen utensils, household products and clothing
- Mend broken appliances and furniture where possible
- Reduce packaging by buying in bulk
- Before you buy something, think “Do I really need it?”

3. Reuse
Reusing is another way of decreasing the amount of waste you throw away, which in turn
decreases the volume of waste destined for landfill. In reusing a product, try and identify a long
term use for the product. There are many ways to reuse things we consider unwanted or no longer
useful You can:

- Take old books, magazines and toys to hospitals, doctor’s rooms, gyms, dental surgeries,
schools or preschools
- Hold a Garage Sale – your ‘trash’ may be another person’s treasure!
- Instead of buying brand new power tools, borrow or hire the ones you might only use
now and then
- Take good used clothing and household items to opportunity shops, school or church fairs
- Reuse containers such as glass jars for storage
- Take your own basket or calico bags when shopping
- Use the internet to locate someone that may be able to make use of your unwanted goods

4. Recycle

Recycling as defined in the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act is “the process of
treating the waste to make it suitable for a beneficial use, and may even transform the waste
material into a new product, and which could also be used as raw materials for the production of
other goods and services.” Recyclable wastes, as defined in RA 9003, refers to any waste material
retrieved from the waste stream and free from contamination that can still be converted into
suitable beneficial use or for other purposes, including, but not limited to newspaper, ferrous scrap
metal, non-ferrous scrap metal, used oil, corrugated cardboard, aluminum, glass, office paper, tin
cans, and other materials as may be determined by the Commission. Generally, there are four types
of recyclable materials. These are paper, plastics, glass and metals, further classified into the
following (As cited in ADB Report 5c, 2003):

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 5. Recover
Processing and recovery are two important elements of SWM, in addition to the preferred
options, namely, waste avoidance/minimization, waste reduction, waste reuse, and waste
recycling. Processing and recovery of waste may be done in a number of ways and may involve
several stages, depending on the type of waste and the purpose of the initiative. It should be noted,
however, that the success of processing and recovery highly depends on the effectiveness of other
prior activities, such as waste avoidance, segregation at source, and segregated collection.

1. Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs)

Section 32 of RA 9003 mandates that Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) be
established in every barangay or cluster of barangays. The MRF includes a solid waste
transfer station or sorting station, drop-off center, a composting facility, and a recycling

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 facility. MRFs serve to reduce the amount of wastes to be disposed of mainly through
recycling, composting, and residual treatment. The combination of MRF, composting, and
other processing activities in some cases are done in so-called Eco-parks.
As of 2012, a total of 7,683 MRFs have been established, serving a total of 8,704
barangays from 1,265 MRFs, serving a total of 1,672 barangays in 2006, or an increase of
80% in the number of barangays covered for a period of 6 years. Moreover, in recent years,
MRFs have also been established in schools, malls, and other commercial establishments.
Below is a list of the number of MRFs found in the regions in 2012. Note that the
National Capital Region and Region 11, particularly, Davao, posted a relatively high
percentage of compliance in terms of barangays covered by the MRFs established.

6. Treatment

Mechanical-Biological Treatment

Mechanical-biological treatment of waste is a means of preparing waste material for disposal.

MBT is a generic term for the integration of several processes commonly found in other waste
management technologies, such as Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), sorting and composting,
or anaerobic digestion.

The process offers the following advantages at the landfill site:

 Less waste volume

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  Better compactability
 Less biogas production
 Improved quality and smaller quantities of leachate (GTZ MBT 1998)

An MBT plant can incorporate a number of different processes in more than 50 different
combinations. In principle, it is a residual waste treatment process that involves both mechanical
and biological treatment processes. MBT plants reduce the environmental impact of landfilling
residual waste. MBT, therefore, complements, but does not replace, other waste management
technologies, such as recycling and composting as part of an integrated waste management system
(Last 2009).

MBT plants typically aim to:

 Pre-treat waste going to a landfill

 Divert non-biodegradable and biodegradable MSW going to landfill by mechanical sorting
into materials for recycling and/or energy recovery as refuse derived fuel (RDF)
 Divert biodegradable MSW (BMW) going to landfill by:
o Reducing the dry mass of BMW prior to landfill
o Reducing the biodegradability of BMW prior to landfill
o Stabilizing into a compost-like output
o Converting into a combustible biogas for energy recovery, and/or
o Drying materials to produce a high calorific organic rich fraction for use as RDF
(Defra 2007)

E. Waste Disposal

Open dumping remains the general practice of waste disposal in the country as controlled
dumpsites and sanitary landfills (SLFs) are very limited (NSWC). RA 9003 requires LGUs to close
their existing open dumpsites by year 2006 and to establish controlled disposal facilities or SLFs.
As of 2016, there are still 403 open dumpsites and 108 controlled dumpsites in operation. The
number of SLFs is also insufficient to service all LGUs. While SLFs increase from 48 in 2010 to
118 in 2016, LGUs with access to SLFs remain below 15 percent. It is interesting to note that the
DENR is now pushing for the establishment of cluster sanitary landfills or common sanitary
landfills in the country to address waste disposal problems. Through cluster sanitary landfills, local
government units (LGUs) may share funds in establishing sanitary landfills and consolidate efforts
on solid waste management efforts. Through cost-sharing, LGUs can save financial resources and
services. Section 13 of the Philippine Constitution provides that LGUs may group themselves,
consolidate or coordinate their efforts, services, and resources for purposes commonly beneficial
to them in accordance with law.

Table 1. Waste Disposal Facilities (2012)

Indicator National Metro Manila

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 No. of disposal facilities 991 2
No. of open and controlled dumps 946 (95%)
No. of open and controlled dumps under
68 (7%)
rehabilitation and closure
No. of sanitary landfills 45 (4%) 2
No. of LGUs served by SLFs 56 56 (4%) 3
Compliance rate 4.64 % 88%
Source: National Solid Waste Management Commission Secretariat (NSWMCS) database

References:

National Solid Waste Management Strategy 2012 – 2016

Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)

Geri-Geronimo R. Sañez Chief, Hazardous Waste Management Section Environmental Quality

Division Environmental Management Bureau Department of Environment and Natural
Resources

Alicia L. Castillo, Master Student, Environmental Resources System, Graduate School of

Environmental Engineering, The University of Kitakyushu, 1-1, Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku,
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 808-0135, Japan

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