EDITORIAL - Dumping ground

Police caught this one on time, but how many others have managed to dump toxic wastes in public places around the country? Environment personnel have been asked by the police to determine the content of 429 drums of waste chemicals that seven persons unloaded near a river in Amadeo, Cavite shortly before they were apprehended Monday night.

Those apprehended said the wastes belonged to VJ Co. and were being transported from Sta. Rosa, Laguna to a facility in Silang, Cavite. But the men claimed the Silang facility was full so they decided to dump the waste in a temporary facility in Amadeo, the coffee-producing region of the province.

Authorities still have to determine whether the transport and disposal of the toxic waste had proper permits. Police said the seven men were apprehended initially because they had parked their truck by the roadside without early warning devices. Such breaks, however, are rare for cops. This is where barangay personnel can earn their salaries: village officials must maintain constant vigilance against indiscriminate dumping of garbage particularly hazardous wastes.

In President Aquino’s home province of Tarlac, a legal battle is raging over the delivery of several tons of garbage from Canada for disposal in a sanitary landfill in Capas. The operator of the landfill, Metro Clark Waste Management Corp., reportedly accepted the mixed waste for a fee of P900 per ton. The first shipment arrived in May, with another 29 shipping containers delivered recently. The importer of the first shipment, Chronic Plastics Inc., faces 14 legal cases filed by government prosecutors.

There’s money in garbage: aside from providing materials for recycling including metals, glass and plastic items, solid waste can now be compacted into blocks that can be used for building construction and public works. Compacting facilities, however, are not yet available in most areas including Tarlac and Cavite.

Compacting also does not include toxic chemicals and non-solid wastes, which can poison rivers and other bodies of water and leach into the soil, endangering crops. The government must clarify its policy on accepting garbage from abroad, especially since the country already has its hand full cleaning up its own wastes. Those who aggravate the problem with their indiscriminate disposal of toxic waste must face the full force of environmental laws.