DENR to help LGUs craft solid waste plans

LOCAL government units in the Cordillera region look forward to having their own approved solid waste management plans (SWMP) or their plans updated and implemented.

Benny Antiporda, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concern assured the agency’s support to ensure the 10 – year SWMP of LGUs will be approved or updated and implemented.

“Expect the best coming from the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) that by now the DENR will not stand as a regulatory body but will stand hand in hand with you (the LGUs) in coming up with a success story on solid waste management,” Antiporda said in his message during the 2019 Environmental Summit in Baguio City on Thursday.

He said the DENR with the NSWMC will work with the LGUs in making sure that their plans in managing solid wastes will be approved and will be implemented well in their respective localities.

“Pagtulong po ang main objective ng DENR at ng NSWMC rather than pahirapan,” he said.

He mentioned in the past, DENR may have been causing the non approval of the 10 – year SWMP of the LGUs due to the strict policies or other technical matters.

Antiporda stressed rather than criticizing and giving back the plans to the LGU due to technical or other problems, the DENR should be giving direction on how to improve the plans of the LGU and at the same time provide technical support and other backing to ensure a workable and implementable SWMP.

In the Cordillera region, 44 out of the 77 LGUs have approved 10-year SWMP. The other 33 LGUs have pending applications for review by the Solid Waste Management Division of the DENR Central Office or by the Environmental Management Bureau-Cordillera.

Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 mandates all local governments to close the operation of their respective open dumpsites and work out the establishment of controlled dump facilities or whatever available environmentally feasible technologies applicable to help preserve and protect the environment and the health of their constituencies.

Section 16 of RA 9003 states "the province, city or municipality, through its local solid waste manage-

ment boards, shall prepare its respective 10year solid waste management plans consistent with the national solid waste management framework." The plan should outline the LGU’s system of "reuse, recycling and composting" of all the wastes generated in its jurisdiction.