Pandemic increased household residual wastes – DENR

We need to act so that less waste will clog our drainage or go to our bins and landfills, adversely affecting our health and daily conditions

TACLOBAN CITY — The coronavirus disease pandemic, which forced people to stay home most of the time, has resulted in one other problem — a rise in residual household waste.

A report from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Eastern Visayas reveals that in 2020, the region generated a total of 20,853,183 kilograms of wastes.

Of this, 6,194,015 or 29 percent is biodegradable, 1,651,737 or 8 percent is recyclable, 1,445,270 or 7 percent is special wastes, 11,562,161 or 56 percent is residual wastes, which include non-compostable and non-recyclable items such as used tetra packs, plastics, and diapers.

The EMB disclosed that in previous years, residual wastes do not constitute more than 50 percent of the total regional waste generation. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, residual wastes generation in 2020 constituted 56 percent.

“Practices and efforts towards the containment of the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic have affected our waste generation,” Regional Executive Director Tirso Parian, Jr. of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Eastern Visayas.

“We need to act so that less waste will clog our drainage or go to our bins and landfills, adversely affecting our health and daily conditions,” he said.

Parian led the department’s observance of “Zero Waste Month” this January. “Let us put on a healthy attitude towards the environment we live in. Ensuring the safety and welfare of the community through proper solid waste management is a shared responsibility,” he said.