Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Waste Management:: Practical Application of The New Ethical Concepts of Eco-Ethics International Union
Waste Management:: Practical Application of The New Ethical Concepts of Eco-Ethics International Union
practical application of
the new ethical concepts of
Eco-Ethics International Union
by
Romeo D. Caturao, MSc in Marine Ecology
Disposal means
any operation which may lead to resource recovery,
recycling, reclamation, direct re-use or alternative uses
(Annex IVB of the Basel convention)
Kinds of Wastes
Solid wastes: domestic, commercial and industrial wastes
especially common as co-disposal of wastes
Liquid Wastes:
cans,
Examples:
domestic washings, chemicals, oils, waste
water from ponds, manufacturing industries
and other sources
Non-biodegradable
cannot be degraded (plastics, bottles, old machines,
cans, styrofoam containers and others)
4
Non-hazardous
Substances
safe
to
use
commercially,
industrially,
agriculturally, or economically that are shipped, transported to
or brought from the country of origin for dumping or disposal
in, or in transit through, any part of the territory of the
Philippines
5
Sources of Wastes
Households
Commerce and
Industry
Sources of Wastes
Agriculture
Fisheries
Countries
Amount /year
Japan
395 M tonnes/year
Germany
104 M tonnes/year
Netherlands
6.1 M tonnes/year
Hungary
102 M tonnes/year
Poland
130 M tonnes/year
Romania
607 M tonnes/year
Bahrain
92,000 tonnes/year
China
6 B tonnes/year
Philippines
1.3 M tonnes/year
In Metro Manila:
It is estimated that 25 million m 3 of acid and alkaline liquid
waste is disposed of annually from the electronics industry.
Almost 2,000 m3 of solvents and 22,000 tonnes of heavy
metals, infectious wastes, biological sludges, lubricants
and intractable wastes are disposed of on land or into
water courses.
4,000 tonnes of solid wastes are generated daily. Of these,
only about 3,400 tonnes are collected and transported to
existing sites.
9
Waste Generation in
Iloilo Province
Hundreds of tons of domestic wastes are
generated daily by households contributing to
the enormous environmental problems the
world is facing.*
11
EFFECTS OF WASTE
According to NAS:
Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea levels and change
precipitation and other local climate conditions.
Changing regional climates could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies.
This could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems.
Deserts might expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our
national parks might be permanently altered.
12
EFFECTS OF WASTE
According to NAS:
- Some countries are expected to become warmer, although sulfates might
limit warming in some areas.
- Scientists are unable to determine which parts of those countries will
become wetter or drier, but there is likely to be an overall trend toward
increased precipitation and evaporation, more intense rainstorms, and drier
soils.
- Whether rainfall increases or decreases cannot be reliably projected for
specific areas.
13
Effects of waste.
Activities that have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere:
-Buildup of GHGs primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4), and
nitrous oxide (N20).
-C02 is released to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels, wood
and wood products, and solid waste.
-CH4 is emitted from the decomposition of organic wastes in landfills,
the raising of livestock, and the production and transport of coal, natural
gas, and oil.
-N02 is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, as well as
during combustion of solid waste and fossil fuels. In 1977, the US
emitted about one-fifth of total global GHGs.
Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2000, US EPA, Office of Atmospheric
Programs, April 2002 EPA 236-R-02-003.
14
15
17
18
19
20
waste reduction
segregation at source
composting
recycling and re-use
more efficient collection
more environmentally sound disposal
21
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
SYSTEMS: EMS
What is an EMS?
An EMS is a formal set of policies and procedures that define how an
organization will evaluate, manage, and track its environmental
impact. It follows the basic model:
23
EMS Development
A Policy Statement that communicates an
organizations environmental priorities to employees.
Managerial endorsement of the policy statement
demonstrates the organizations commitment to the
effort and willingness to allocate resources for
implementation.
Once a policy statement is in place, the organization
implements it following the model.
24
Plan
Identify all environmental aspects: any environmental or
health and safety impacts resulting from activities and
services. The organization then evaluates each aspect
according to a variety of criteria:
understanding of eco-ethics
environmental and health effects
economic impacts
liabilities
2. Do
The do-phase of the model involves implementation of the
environmental plan through employee training and establishment of
operation controls.
3. Check
Evaluates progress toward meeting program goals through ongoing
monitoring and measuring and periodic EMS audits.
4. Act
Involves taking corrective action to update and improve the
environmental plan. For example, if an organization makes significant
progress on one environmental aspect, another environmental aspect
will replace it on the priority list.
26
EMS Certification
EPA encourages organizations to use recognized
EMS frameworks to improve compliance, pollution
prevention, and other measures of environmental
performance.
Third-party certification can also add credibility to an
organizations EMS.
28
29
30