Restoring the Earth through teamwork
EVERY April 22, the world celebrates Earth Day, a day for countries to demonstrate their support for environment friendly practices. First established in the 1970s as an activist response to a massive oil spill in California, it has since become a day to remind people of the damage that they have done on the planet.
With the theme “Restore Our Earth.” this year’s Earth Day continues in that spirit of awareness, but also carries with it hope and optimism.
“At the heart of Earth Day’s 2021 theme, Restore Our Earth, is optimism, a sentiment that is critically needed in a world ravaged by both climate change and the pandemic," said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earthday.org.
"This year, we are also supporting local communities and areas that are disproportionately affected by environmental issues," she added, referring to the theme’s focus on restoring the world’s ecosystems through natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking.
Sustainablity
LAST month, Philippines Graphic, in partnership with COOK Magazine and the Businessmirror, hosted a live webinar that promoted sustainability through plastic waste recycling. Titled "Possibilities for a Brighter Future: Achieving Zero Waste by 2030,” the webinar primarily focused on initiatives the Philippines has undertaken to curb waste and climate change.
According to Commissioner Crispian Lao of the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), while the Philippines’ consumption of single use plastics is lower compared to its neighbors, the country is the third largest polluter of the oceans.
Out of the country’s 44,000 tons of solid waste produced, 52% of it is recyclable. However, most of these are thrown out to landfills instead. Given this information, the NSWMC was able to partner with the Department of Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of Health (DOH) to recover residual waste and manage existing litter.
While the Philippines’ Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, or Republic Act 9003, is one of the most “comprehensive” laws, its objective has not yet been realized due to a lack of infrastructure.
“We have one of the most beautiful and comprehensive waste management laws, and the basic objective of the law is to convert our waste into resources, and to ensure that only waste that cannot be composted or recycled go to the landfills,” he remarked.
“The barangay is supposed to be in charge of the biodegradable waste and the city’s mandate is to only collect residual waste and special waste,” he added.
Lack of infrastructure
“Unfortunately, because of the lack of infrastructure here in the Philippines, it gets mixed. And even if we segregate at home, when the garbage collector collects it, it collects everything,” he added.
While reducing plastic consumption is a great help, particularly in reducing the waste that goes into oceans, the plastics, and not the persons threw aways these plastics, are being blamed for the current situation,
“Blaming plastics has become a band-aid solution, why would you blame the plastic when there are other factors that made the plastic reach the waters,” said Bert Guevara, Vice President of the Philippine Alliance for Recycling and Materials Sustainability (PARMS).
For both speakers, they believe this phenomenon is largely due to confusion, a lack of avenues where people can bring their recyclables, and not enough cooperation between public and private sectors.
Circular economy
ONE way of approaching the matter is shifting from a linear form of economy to a circular one. This is defined by Lao as “making full use of the resources and putting it back in the system.” By converting trash to resources through activities such as composting, designing packagings to be more recyclable and proper waste segregation, trash suddenly becomes more valuable as it is reused or recycled in many different ways.
From using trash as compost for farms and gardens or converting single use plastics into furniture, people will be able to reduce the amount of waste that is dumped in landfills or oceans. They will instead be encouraged to find ways of repurposing plastics and other nonbiodegradable waste.
This approach is also in line with the idea of building a regenerative economy, which has recently been touted by many environmentalists as an alternative goal to sustainability. Like what Lao described, regenerative practices focus on a circular relationship with the environment, where it is a constant give and take between parties.
According to Daniel Christian Wahl, author of “Designing Regenerative Cultures,” this type of economy supports “win-win-win solutions” that serve “both people and the planet.”
Basketball team
HOWEVER, for a regenerative economy to work, the different sectors of the community must be on the same page and work together towards a common goal.
“Right now, there’s very little cooperation, each sector is trying to solve the problem on their level. Even here in Metro Manila, it is noticeable that the MMDA sometimes has a different program compared to the DENR and local government units. We want to change that and approach it as a team,” said Guevara. He likens the idea of the different sectors working together to a basketball team, and just like any team, it needs a coach.
This is where PARMS comes in. As an alliance that is composed of people from the different sectors, PARMS aims to “bridge the disconnections in recycling”, from the homeowners to the big corporations. In addition to proper segregation, PARMS hopes to introduce the idea of a “recovery and recycling center” where waste recovered from communities can be matched with their “best values and incentives” along with having updated recycling and upcycling technologies.
The remainder of the waste can be transported to either a recycling or disposal facility. In this manner, it can be ensured that the value of the trash is properly utilized and can re-enter the system in one form or another. Additionally, these centers can also offer education programs to people so they can raise awareness about the importance of recycling.
Through this, PARMS hopes that people will no longer just try to do their own things and instead look to each other for help and support to save the planet.
“Everyone is trying to become the superhero, and that’s what is messing up RA 9003. We don't need superheroes, we need a team,” he said.