Managing solid waste in Boracay
Boracay was closed by the government for six months for rehabilitation. Aside from physical improvements, a vital component of this program is education. I was informed that our group, the Environmental Practitioners’Association (EPA), was short-listed by DENR Region 6 as one of the organization that will conduct trainings on environmental laws to establishments in Boracay. The EPA is a DENR-EMB accredited organization authorized to conduct trainings for Pollution Control Officers and Managing Heads of companies. Just this week, we conducted training for more than a hundred PCOs at Widus Hotel in Clark. It will be an honor for us to be able to help in addressing the environmental problems in Boracay.
In our PCO trainings, my lecture is on RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste management Act. The trainings in Boracay, if it materializes, might deviate from the usual. I’m sure they expect not just a discussion of the law but ideas and suggestions on how to address the garbage problem in this prime tourist destination. Boracay is an island, the garbage has nowhere to go unless it is shipped out which is quite costly.
In the short term, a sanitary landfill will do as a final disposal site. But eventually, it will be filled-up and it’s back to square one again. A waste-to-energy project may not be feasible since the volume of garbage is not sufficient to keep the plant operating continuously. Besides, it is not exactly an eco-friendly system.
The best approach in the long term is waste reduction through recycling and waste avoidance. This can be implemented through a local ordinance. I read in the news that the Municipality of Malay of which Boracay is a part, has already passed an ordinance banning plastic. Municipal Ordinance No. 320 series of 2012 was passed way back in October 2012. The ordinance prohibits the use of plastic bags on dry goods, regulating its use on wet goods, and banning the use of styrofoam in the municipality.
Unfortunately, it says in the news that the local government opted to implement the ordinance in June 2017 only, or five years after. After an ordinance is passed and published and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan did not object to it, the Chief Executive is duty bound to implement it else he or she can be made accountable for dereliction of duty. Unless of course there is a provision in the ordinance that says it will be implemented only after five years.
Prohibiting single use plastic bags has a big impact on solid waste management. Let’s do the math. If there are one million tourists visiting the island every year and each one carries just one piece of plastic bag, that’s a million pieces dumped in the tiny island. Add the plastic straws, styrofoam containers, PET bottles and plastic utensils and you have tons of non-biodegradable waste that will remain in the island for hundreds of years.
Other waste minimization related ordinances can be passed specifically for Boracay such as deposit system for PET bottles, regulation of disposable coffee cups and others. For biodegradable waste, an ordinance mandating composting for households, commercial establishments and big hotels can be considered.
See you soon Boracay (I hope).