Greenpeace warns of mountains of trash in Metro

An international environmental group warned that Metro Manila residents will suffer mountains of trash unless government waste planners invest in a strategy that places precedence on waste reduction and recycling programs which would lessen the metropolis’ reliance on expensive and ecologically unsound waste disposal systems.

Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaign director Von Hernandez, citing a report entitled, "Waste and Recycling in the Philippines," revealed that local government units in Metro Manila are squandering billions of pesos annually on improper waste handling and disposal systems.

Hernandez noted that the failure of the LGUs to properly address the garbage problem has resulted in staggering social costs such as illness and injury due to unsanitary waste collection, floods, environmental damage to ground and surface water from landfills and dumpsites and air pollution from open burning and landfill fires.

"Wasting much needed resources on traditional waste disposal methods which are proven failures is downright foolish and unjustifiable," Francis dela Cruz, Greenpeace Southeast Asia toxic campaigner, said.

The environmental group said that Metro Manila needs to make the critical policy shift now, from the traditional ‘dump, bury, burn’ disposal option to active pollution prevention and disposal reduction programs like recycling and composing.

"This approach is not only environmentally desirable, it is also economically superior and less expensive than traditional disposal which could effectively translate into increased resources for other local government priorities," Dela Cruz said.

The Greenpeace study estimates that if Metro Manila implements a genuine waste reduction program, the metropolis would be able to recycle and compost at least 30 percent of its garbage in 2005 and 60 percent in 2010.

For his part, Hernandez said efforts to create an alternative waste management system for the metropolis have been stymied by lack of foresight and political will among waste planners and decision makers, inadequate and misdirected funding and corruption.

"For the alternative system to succeed, government needs capital investment, careful planning and the political commitment to see long-term solutions through. The burn and bury options require only a contractor willing to reap profits and government agencies willing to toss money away while overlooking serious health and environmental hazards caused by these facilities," Hernandez said.

He said that as long as waste planners focus on short-term solutions, no real changes will occur.

Hernandez added that any new waste management system needs to be configured to take advantage of the vast labor pool of approximately 40,000 to 50,000 garbage scavengers, stressing that failure to do so could cause social disruption as these marginalized workers are further excluded from the productive economy.