Review of Related Literature and Studies

The biggest environmental problem of Manila, and probably of all

cities in the Philippines, is the disposal of solid waste materials. On the
average, each Metro Manila resident, young and old, throws away about
0.5-1.00 kilogram of solid waste. Metro Manilas solid waste amounts to
3000-4000 tons per day. About 28% of it is compostable and 38% is
combustible. The rest is neither compostable or combustible. The citys
present method of solid waste disposal is apparently unable to cope with
the problem. This is evident in the mounting piles of garbage in many
street corners. Smokey mountain has been sealed off to further
dumping. San Mateo residents are up in protest against the opening of a
new dump site in their vicinity.

Not only are the piles of garbage on city streets unsightly, they also
serve as breeding places for disease-causing microorganisms. This
hastens the spread of diseases, specially those that are air borne and
water borne.

Some suggested solutions to the garbage problem are (1)

processing garbage into fertilizer using fertilizer-converter machines to
cope with the huge amount of waste materials, (2) converting organic
waste into biogas, and (3) burning garbage to obtain heat for power
generation.

Other environmental problems like pollution from industry and

transportation, and eutrophication due to the use of chemical fertilizers.