Environmental Science and Engineering

SOLID WASTE
AND SOLID
WASTE
MANAGEMENT
 Contents of the Report

Table of contents……………………………………………….………………………………. 1

Introduction…………………………………………………………………….………………. 2

Republic Act No. 9003………………………………………...……………………….……… 3

Municipal and City Ordinances……….……………………………….………………………. 4

Sources of solid waste….……….……………………………………………………………… 5

Solid waste management …….………………………………….……………..………………. 8

Observations on how we manage our solid waste………….…………………….………...…..13

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 Introduction

What is Solid waste?

According to RCRA, "solid waste" includes any garbage or refuse, sludge from

wastewater treatment plants, water supply treatment plants, or air pollution control facilities, as

well as other discarded materials that come from industrial, commercial, mining, agricultural,

and community activities.

What is Solid Waste Management?

Solid waste management refers to the discipline associated with the o=control of

generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid waste in a

manner that is in accord with the best principle of public health, economics, engineering,

conversation, aesthetics and other environmental considerations, and that is also responsive to

public attitudes.

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A.) REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9003

Lead by the principal author Lauds Legarda, Republic act No. 9003 is signed in January 26,

2001 and took effect in February 2001. It is currently implemented by the National solid Waste

Management Commission (NSWMC).

Republic act No. 9003 also known as “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of

2000.”, is composed of seven chapters and a total of sixty-six sections that contains statements

that is providing for an ecological solid waste management program, creating the necessary

institutional mechanisms and incentives, declaring certain acts prohibited and providing

penalties, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes.

The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 declared six policies to ensure

proper segregation, collection, transport, storage, treatment and adaptation, and disposal of solid

waste through formulation and adoption of the best environmental practice in ecological waste

management excluding incineration.

According to RA 9003, local government units (LGUs) are in charge of managing solid

waste effectively and efficiently, particularly when it comes to rubbish segregation and disposal.

According to RA 9003, local government units (LGUs) are primarily responsible for the

effective and efficient management of solid waste, particularly garbage segregation and disposal.

Each LGU is required to develop a 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), which

includes the establishment of materials recovery facilities (MRF) and sanitary landfills. Each

LGU must create a 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP), which must include the

construction of sanitary landfills and materials recovery facilities (MRF).

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B.) MUNICIPAL AND CITY ORDINANCES GOVERNING THE DISPOSAL OF SOLID

WASTE

In the section 16 of the Republic Act no. 9003, Plans for solid waste management by

local governments is stressed. The province, city, or municipality shall prepare its respective

10-year solid waste management plans in accordance with the national solid waste management

framework, with the following conditions: the waste management plan shall be for the re-use,

recycling, and composting of wastes generated in their respective jurisdictions; and the solid

waste management plan of the LGU shall ensure the efficient management of solid waste.

The implementation of all practical reuse, recycling, and composting initiatives will

receive priority attention in the plan, which will also specify the amount of landfill and waste-

transformation capacity required for solid waste that cannot be reused, repurposed, or

composted.

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C.) Sources of solid waste:

There are five main sources of solid wastes

a.) Residential or Domestic/Household Waste- These are the disposable materials

and wastes that is generated by households. Example of domestic waste are

bottles, sachets, food scraps etc.

b.) Industrial Waste- These are the wastes produced by industrial activities during a

manufacturing process. They can be I a form of solid, liquid or gaseous form.

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c.) Educational or Commercial Waste- These are the wastes from premises used

mainly for the purpose of trade or business or for the purpose of sport, recreation,

education or entertainment.

d.) Municipal Waste (MSW)- These are the wastes that consists the everyday items

that are discarded by the public. Municipal wastes or GARBAGES, are mainly

composed of food residue, wood wastes, plastics, rubbers, and E- Waste.

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e.) Agricultural Waste- These are the unusable, unwanted, and not profitable

materials that originates from an agriculture. Agricultural wastes are mainly

composed of food scraps and useless crops. Most of the agricultural scraps are

biodegradable.

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D.) SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT EXAMPLES.

1. Composting

Composting is a common practice in developing nations and is comparable to

hygienic landfilling. This process separates and composts organic material that can

decompose. Yields are reliable end products and good soil conditioners. They can serve

as the building block for fertilizers.

2. Recycling

Recycling is the process of gathering and converting resources into new goods

that would otherwise be thrown away as waste. Both the environment and your

community may benefit from recycling. Segregation helps recycling the most.

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3. Incineration

The method of incineration is appropriate for combustible waste. This technique

involves expensive construction and operation expenditures. In densely populated areas

without landfills, this strategy would be appropriate. It can be used to lower the amount

of solid waste that needs to be dumped.

4. Landfilling (Solid wastes sanitary landfills)

The process of placing solid waste in sanitary landfills is easy, tidy, and efficient.

In this process, the layers are leveled, compacted, and covered with dirt after being

squeezed with some mechanical equipment. Microorganisms operate on the organic

debris and breakdown it in a 3 to 5 m deep trench.

Refuse depth in this operation is often restricted to 2 meters. Complex organic

matter is hydrolyzed by facultative bacteria into simpler water-soluble organics.

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5. Disposal by hog feeding

This technique for getting rid of solid waste entails feeding garbage and

agricultural waste to animals like goats, pigs, cattle, dogs, etc. (Sidhar, 2009). Poor waste

management is a major contributor to many of the diseases that plague man in his

environment.

6. Salvaging procedure

Materials such as metal, paper, glass, rags, certain types of plastic and so on can

be salvaged, recycled, and reused.

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7. Solid Waste Open Burning

Solid waste open burning is the “primitive” method of disposing waste. It wasn’t

an issue at the early ages. Nevertheless, It is very harmful in our present time so it is not

recommendable.

8. Disposal by Ploughing into the fields

Plowing waste into fields is not a frequent method of disposal. In general, these

disposal methods are not environmentally friendly.

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9. Sea Dumping Process

This sea dumping process can be carried out only in coastal cities. This is very

costly procedure and not environment friendly.

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E.) OBSERVATIONS ON HOW WE MANAGE OUR SOLID WASTE

MY OBSERVATION ON THE PHILIPPINES’ SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

Solid waste management in the Philippines is poor. The reason for this poor solid waste

management is because of the unsustainable plastic production and consumption, lack of solid

waste management infrastructure and equipment, and the lack of discipline of some of our fellow

Filipinos. The 3 Rs method (reuse, reduce, recycle) is extra difficult because most of the

Filipinos doesn’t segregate although they are aware and have minimal knowledge about

segregation.

In addition to that, because of the Philippine Clean Air Act of 1999 and the Ecological

Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, the Philippines is the first and thus far the only country in

the world with a national ban on incineration. An Incinerator have the potential to be a great

source of power and a solution for our waste problems. It would be like killing two birds with

one stone. Nevertheless, the authorities in our country concluded that air pollution is far worse

than solid waste problems, resulting to the creation of the two said laws.

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MY OBSERVATION ON THE NDU STUDENT’S SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

I was wondering how my fellow NDU students handled their solid trash as I made my

way to my next class. Then I noticed our redesigned trash cans. I initially thought that they are

effective because they really tempt people into "dunking" their trash. Although it is a wonderful

idea to change trash cans to encourage people to throw away their waste, it is still ineffective.

Yes, the bin is doing what it's supposed to do, which is to collect trash, but it's disappointing that

some people don't feel any obligation to separate their trash.

Here are some of the wastes during the Notre Dame Day:

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