DENR issues waste-to-energy guidelines

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has issued the guidelines on the establishment and operation of waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities for the treatment of municipal solid waste in the country.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu recently signed DENR administrative order 2019-21 which contained the guidelines for the WTE establishment.

“We hope that we will be able to demonstrate in a pilot basis one solution to the waste problem using WTE method without the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999,” Cimatu said.

WTE refers to the energy recovered from waste, usually the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into useable heat, electricity or fuel through a variety of processes.

The DAO provides guidelines on environmentally-sound evaluation, establishment, operation and decommissioning or closure of WTE technologies for municipal solid waste management.

Municipal solid waste is produced from activities within local government units, which include a combination of residential, commercial, institutional and industrial trash and street litters.

The DENR is looking at WTE as a cleaner and more sustainable alternative to the traditional sanitary landfill, which is the waste disposal method allowed by the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Cimatu said the country’s garbage woes are only getting worse, especially in Metro Manila, which generates about 56,000 cubic meters of trash per day.

“The problem on solid waste is one of the primary issues that we must address immediately,” he said.

Cimatu assured that the WTE guidelines “adhere to the policy of the government to ensure the protection of public health and environment.”

The DAO follows set guidelines and targets for solid waste avoidance and volume reduction through source reduction and waste minimization measures in accordance with ecologically sustainable development practices.

The guidelines comply with Presidential Decree 1586 establishing an environmental impact assessment system, emission standards as contained in the Clean Air Act, effluent standards as contained in the Philippine Clean Water Act, and regulation on the use and disposal of hazardous substances and waste as stipulated in the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Act.