Waste Management and Disposal

In my last postings, I was able to present the importance and reason of housekeeping and equipment maintenance.  For this topic, we will discuss the importance of properly managing the different waste that our training can produce and methods of disposal. 

Waste management is defined by the Maintain Training Facilities - Competency Based Learning Material, (MTF-CBLM) as "... the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal of waste materials, usually ones by human activity, in an effort to reduce their effect on human health or local aesthetics or amenity."

Focus on recent decades have been to reduce the effect of waste materials on the environment and the development and implementation of different methods to recover resources out of the different waste that we generate. 

This is so, not just because we wanted to protect the environment, but also for its long-time effect on humans, thus for years different waste management programs were introduced to lessen the effect of these waste and to reduce its footprints.

"Waste management practices differ for developed and developing countries, for urban and rural area and for residential and industrial produces." "Management for non-hazardous residential and institutional waste in metropolitan areas is usually the responsibility of local government authorities, while management for non-hazardous commercial and industrial waste is usually the responsibility of the generator."

Environmental and Waste Management Laws in the Philippines

For our country, since 1997 different laws were proclaimed and enacted not only to manage waste but also on the different ways of protecting the environment, as cited by the MTF-CBLM, these are:

Presidential Decree (PD) 1152, “The Philippines Environment Code,” "which took effect in 1997, provides a basis for an integrated waste management regulation starting from waste source to methods of disposal. PD 1152 has further mandated specific guidelines to manage municipal wastes (solid and liquid), sanitary landfill and incineration, and disposal sites in the Philippines."

Environmental Impact Assessment 

1. Presidential Decree (PD) 1586: Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System (PEIS). "The law that requires that all agencies and instrumentalities of the national government including government owned and controlled corporations as well as private corporations, firms and entities must prepare an environmental impact statement for every proposed project and undertaking which significantly affect the quality of the environment."
2. DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 03-30: "PEIS Implementation Guidelines and Procedures."

Air Quality Management

1. Republic Act (RA) 8749: "Philippine Clean Air (PCAA) of 1999 – The law that provides a comprehensive air pollution control policy. Specifically, this legislative intends to apply air quality management in all sources in order to implement abatement and control of air pollution."
2. DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2000-81: "PCAA Implementing Rules and Regulations"

Water Quality Management

1. RA 9275: Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 – "The law that provides comprehensive water pollution control policy. Specifically, this legislative intends to apply water quality management in all water bodies in order to implement abatement and control of pollution from land-based sources." 
2. DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2005-10 "PCWA Implementing Rules and Regulations."  
3. PD 1067: "Water Code of the Philippines"

Waste Management

1.  Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 - "a landmark environmental legislation in the Philippines. The law was crafted in response to the looming garbage problems in the country. RA 9003 declares the policy of the state in adopting a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program that ensures the protection of public health and the environment and the proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through the formulation and adoption of best environmental practices." [1]
   

Given the intensive training that Technical Vocational Education and Training requires (TVET), depending on the qualification, the conduct of training can generate waste that requires proper management and disposal.  This waste can emanate from Waste of Electrical and Electronics Equipment (WEEE), (Ex, busted bulbs, used copper wires, etc), chemical waste that comes from cleaning agents, plastics as used for containers, food waste that needs proper disposal that can lead to pest infestation, and other waste product that can be produced when we the conduct Competency Based Trainings (CBT).

To address these problems the MTF-CBLM suggest the development of a waste management plan, and proper waste disposal as required by RA 9003.

There is no specific template for the development of a waste management plan, for these can vary from institution to institution and enacted local government laws. However, a template was provided for waste segregation which is only part of the plan that an institution may develop to properly address their generated waste.

WikiHow has written a sample method of writing a waste management plan that you can use as guide when developing your own, while a self-explanatory template with sample contents in regard to waste segregation and reduction checklist can be downloaded here.

Should you have further questions, feel free to comment below.

Cheers!


Related Links:

1. Workshop Maintenance Program
2. Equipment Maintenance Program

Source:

[1] as cited in Ecological Solid Waste Management Act: Environmental Protection Through Proper Solid Waste Practice, Aquino, Derequito, Festejo. retrieved on October 30, 2018, from http://ap.fftc.agnet.org/ap_db.php?id=153&print=1