Human Relations

Davao City bans use of plastics, styrofoams

Philippine Daily Inquirer
3:28 pm | Thursday, May 10th, 2012
DAVAO CITY – After banning smoking and spitting in public, the city government announced that starting June 28, it would be a crime here to use environmentally-destructive plastic bags and styrofoams in packaging, including for food products.
Joseph Dominic Felizarta, chief of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro), said the city government will strictly implement the ban on non-biodegradable plastics and Polystyrene foam as food and beverage packaging starting June 28, when the city’s Ecological Solid Waste Management ordinance becomes fully-effective.
The ordinance was passed in 2010 yet but had to satisfy some rules first, such as publication, before it becomes effective.
Now, there is no more hindrance to its implementation, Felizarta said.
He said in lieu of plastics and styros, establishment owners could use the so-called “bio-plastics.” Bio-plastics are made from various types of degradable materials such as aliphatic polyesters.
“This is part of our effort to help protect our environment and this would also be helpful in preventing the clogging of our canals, which causes flooding,” Felizarta told the Inquirer.
He said a massive information campaign had been launched in connection with the upcoming ban – especially among the managements of supermarkets and public market vendors.
“So far there were no complaints or opposition to the ban as everyone was amenable to the idea to help in cleaning the environment,” Felizarta said.
He said, in fact, some big supermarkets have already taken measures and slowly introduced ways to avoid the use of plastics and styrofoams.
“One mall now uses paper bags for packaging at least once a week,” Felizarta said.
He said there is no way establishments can fool the city government either by pretending to use bio-plastics.
Felizarta said the Cenro will conduct tests to determine if plastics marked “biodegradable” are indeed genuine. Biodegrable plastics, he said, become brittle when exposed to heat of about 80 degrees centigrade.
Under the ordinance, Felizarta said first-time violators would be fined P300 and will be required to attend a seminar on solid waste management. Those who fail to attend the seminar will pay the fine and face charges.
Second time offenders will be fined with P500 or render community service for at least five days.
Third time offenders would shell out P1,000 in fine or a 10-day community service.
For those simply stubborn to follow the law, Felizarta said stiffer penalties await them such as jail terms of up to six months.
“The repetitive offender will also be required to pay the fine of P3,000 and render community service for 15 days,” he said.
As for plastics used to pack small items such as candies and snack foods, Felizarta said this would be treated as residual wastes that will directly go to the city’s sanitary landfills.
He also said the city government still strictly implements the “No Collection No Segregation” policy.
Felizarta said unclassified wastes are left behind by garbage collectors.
Because of this, he said the city government saved P37 million in hauling services since the policy was implemented about two years ago. Dennis Santos and Ayan Mellejor, Inquirer Mindanao

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/191203/davao-city-bans-use-of-plastics-styrofoams

Cebu’s Waste Disposal System: No Segregation, No Collection

Gloria Maris C. Vercide / Registered User /

December 08, 2012 | read 1,648 times, commented 0 times

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I’ve been to Metro Manila lately and it just so happened that I had to throw our garbage in a bin outside. Unknowingly, I began to ask our helper, “Asa ang malata ani? (Which one is for the biodegradable waste?)”. And I begin to realize, I’m not in Cebu, why I should look for that anyway? However, a realization came to me and at the back of my mind I know something good is certain. That thing of proper waste segregation became my habit and it is a plus point for me.

It’s almost a year now when the City of Cebu started the strict implementation of the ordinance, “No Segregation, No Collection” campaign. Posters can be seen in the Barangay Halls or in the public places scattered all over the city encouraging citizens to observe proper waste disposal. Several bins are also painted biodegradable or nonbiodegradable signage to point where the garbage should be. Oh and by the way, some are in the local dialect so I made a little dictionary of Cebuano terms for you to be guided.
|Terms(in Cebuano Dialect) |Translation |
|Malata |Biodegradable |
|Di - Malata |Non-Biodegradable |
|Magamit Pa |Recyclable |
|Makahilo |Toxic |

So as I am writing this article, I went through news items and reviews about this move by the city government. The little research about this effective campaign actually delighted me. I learned that some cities in the country did a lot of strategy to follow what Cebu City is aiming for. To name a few, Baguio City and Bacolod City complied to this motive in accordance to the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000:
AN ACT 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^
But not everyone was happy about this campaign. There was a write up claiming to give the side of the scavengers what used to be the sanitary landfill in Inayawan who are affected by the campaign.* But for me, I rather focus on the positive impact it may bring to the greater number of Cebuanos, who will surely gain in terms of cleanliness and discipline.
I even remember the instance when a sudden rain caused the rise of water in the Reclamation Area because of improper waste disposal and blockage of water flow in the drainage and canals. It was near the SM City and Mabolo area where a lot of property damage and heavy traffic were seen. This campaign is a big leap to avoid that incident to happen again.
For me, this step of Cebu City government should highly be praised but hopefully it will not end too easily. Let us support this good advocacy and together, let’s work hand in hand in creating our Cebu a better place to live.
Remember, everything is connected to everything else. Your effort today may be of great help for a better tomorrow. Keep segregating and keep it going. Let us be one, for Cebu and for the whole world too.
Schedule of Garbage Collection: • Biodegradable (Malata) - Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday • Non-Biodegradable (Dili Malata) - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday http://www.onecebu.com/travel/destination-guide-reviews/information-3950.html What do you need to know about recycling paper?

Recycling paper is one of the environmentally friendly methods of waste disposal supported by thesolid waste management industry. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says the amount of paper that we generate crested in 2000 and has gone down slightly since then. Paper industry data, which covers all paper consumed in a year and is almost 15 million tons higher than EPA's, also shows a relatively flat supply trend. Both sets of statistics show that per capita paper consumption is declining over time.

What is happening is that we keep finding ways to avoid using paper. E-mail increasingly is replacing paper mail. More and more people are reading newspapers, magazines and books online. All sorts of businesses seek “paperless” ways of doing their business. Plastic bags have pretty much replaced paper bags. More milk is sold in plastic jugs than in paper containers.

Even with these reductions or substitutions, Americans continue to use a lot of paper every day, in our homes, schools and businesses. As a result, paper – including writing paper, corrugated boxes, tissue and toilet paper, newspaper and packaging – remains the largest part of the American waste stream. According to EPA, paper makes up slightly less than a third of our trash. That's more than 71 million tons.

The good news is that more and more Americans are recycling paper every year. Americans recycled more than 62 percent of the paper we used in 2010. But we can achieve even more. Eighty percent of America’s paper mills are designed to use paper collected in recycling programs, and they depend on paper recycling to have the materials they need to operate.

Recycling Paper: Did you know?

• Every ton of mixed paper recycled can save the energy equivalent of 165 gallons of gasoline. • Recycling paper saves energy and reduces pollution. Making new paper from recycled paper uses up to 55 percent less energy than making paper from trees, and reduces related air pollution by 95 percent.

How is paper recycled?

Recycled paper processing mills use paper as their feedstock. The recovered paper is combined with water in a large vessel called a pulper, which acts like a blender to separate fibers in the paper sheets from each other. The resultant paper material then passes through screens and other separation processes to remove contaminants such as ink, clays, dirt, plastic and metals.

Paper fibers from newspaper are recycled back into newspaper, as well as paper game boards, paper egg cartons, paper gift boxes, paper animal bedding, paper insulation and paper packaging material. Paper fibers from office paper are recycled into tissue paper, paper towels and toilet paper. Paper fibers from corrugated cardboard are recycled into corrugated medium, which is a component of a paper box.

Tips for reducing, reusing and recycling paper

Most paper products can be reused or recycled, including newspaper and books, magazines and catalogs, office paper, and certain types of cardboard. Following are some paper recycling tips to get you started.

• Recycle books by donating them to local libraries, schools, charitable organizations and hospitals. Trade books with friends, or take advantage of web sites like www.PaperBackSwap.com, www.BookMooch.com orwww.Freecycle.com to trade your books online. You can also sell your books on eBay or Craigslist, or to a local used bookstore. • Take brown paper bags back to the store to recycle them, or check with your municipal curbside recycling program to see if they are accepted at recycling centers. (They usually are.) Reduce your overall use of paper bags by taking cloth tote bags along on your grocery shopping trips. • Curbside municipal recycling programs readily accept newspaper. Be sure to remove any rubber bands or plastic bags before you place your paper in the paper recycling bin. Generally, old newsprint should be kept dry and clean. • Cardboard is one of the most commonly recycled paper materials. Boxes meant for paper recycling should be emptied and flattened. Wet or greasy cardboard (such as pizza boxes) paper cannot be recycled. Cardboard also works great in composting. Use it to line the compost heap or layer it with wet grass cuttings. • All municipal paper recycling programs that accept paper will accept magazines and catalogs, so make sure you are including these paper materials in your sorted recyclables. You can also donate magazines to hospitals or nursing homes. To reduce your catalog waste, register with the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference List. And make sure to cancel any subscriptions for magazines you don’t read.

Newspaper Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Facts:

Generated Newspaper: 9.88 million tons or 4.0 percent by weight or 63.94 pounds per person per year.

Recycled Paper: 7.37 million tons, a 72.0 percent recovery rate in 2010 according to industry data.

Recycled Content Paper: 30 percent for American newspapers. (27 states have voluntary or mandatory recycled fiber requirements.)

Incinerated Paper or Landfilled Paper: 2.81 million tons, or 1.7 percent of discarded MSW by weight. (Per-pound Btu value of 7,500 is 50 percent higher than a pound of garbage.)

Landfill Paper Volume: 15.3 million cubic yards or 3.6 percent of landfilled MSW by volume in 1997.

Source Reduction: Newspapers use a lighter paper weight and smaller paper size. “Web width” has decreased from 48 inches to as low as 42 inches.

http://www.environmentalistseveryday.org/solid-waste-management/environment-friendly-waste-disposal/recycling-paper.php

Plastic or paper bag - the search for greener Alternative

TRADE FORUM By Chris Malazarte (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 1, 2012 - 12:00am

As waters receded in the wake of the deadly monsoon that hit Luzon lately, the National Capital was drenched with yet another problem – garbage. Garbage is not only visible during or after a heavy downpour, it is visible in many parts of the capital even in broad sunshine. I am not sure though, but from what I see, most of the garbage that teem under its rivers and drainage system are mostly plastics of consumer grade like plastic bags, bottles, food packaging and other everyday items which were blamed to have aggravated the flood.

And what if we outlaw the use of plastics, would the problem still persist? I would like to believe so. This is more than just an issue of the use of plastics. This is also an issue of personal discipline and a skewed mindset. There are types who have this notion that his rubbish is insignificant to contribute to the clogging of our drainage and tributaries because he is just one person. There are also those types who say, “I am not the only person who throws my garbage there, so don’t blame me.” And those who join the dumping frenzy because the others are doing it anyway. While a lot of these other “I don’t care” types just simply want to chuck their trash anywhere for convenience.

And for as long as such people exist, garbage will always pose a big problem not only in Manila but for the rest of the country. In other words, enforcement is also crucial to eliminate those who contribute nothing but waste. Unconscionable and unthinking dumpers deserved to be dumped in jail.

But even if we put every bad dumper to where they belong, we still have to deal with the huge waste that plastics can do to our dumpsites and to the environment in general. But do we have a choice? Those who advocate paper for plastics say that it is the way to go. Plastic producers, however, belie the claim that paper is more eco-friendly. Accordingly, it is more expensive to produce paper bags than plastic bags since paper bags require more energy say if we produce one kilo of paper bag vis-à-vis a kilo of plastic bag.

I do not know how to extrapolate this data in Philippine context, but I would like to share a portion of the article of NBC’s chief environmental correspondent, Anne Thompson, in which she said, “To make all the bags we use each year, it takes 14 million trees for paper and 12 million barrels of oil for plastic. The production of paper bags creates 70 percent more air pollution than plastic.”

From this data alone, to say that paper may be a better alternative to plastics may not be entirely true if we take a peek on how paper products are produced from the forest to the processing plants. But then again plastics also beg our honest answer as to how we eliminate them. One may argue that plastics are also recyclable and reusable, but it does not take away the fact that plastics are not permanently reusable for the average consumer. We can reuse a plastic bag for like three or four times then leave it to the recyclers for processing. But the question is how much of these plastics bags that we throw everyday are being reprocessed or recycled?

This brings us back to the post-monsoon scene where everybody seemed to be recovering not from their property losses but by the amount of plastic litter that they had to get rid of after its wake. This alone is auspicious enough to believe that we do not have enough capacity to recycle plastics. In fact, even in developed countries, less than 10 percent of plastics are recovered for recycling.

While plastic bags may be cheaper to produce I do not wish to justify its use for the same reason. Plastic bags come from non-renewable sources mostly from crude oil. It is also like fuel energy that if we dispose of them at the dumps, they are permanently gone from the resource chain. So if you ask me if we should support a policy that outlaws the use of plastics bags, I would still support it even if it means loss of jobs for some people in this industry. I do not wish to support either the use of paper for plastics as grocery bags. Thus, I have no love for both.

I would like to bring back the days when people used to carry their “buyot” (hand-woven bags) to go shopping in public markets. Why don’t we make use of them and in so doing, we encourage or build a new industry. The thing about using these kinds of bags is that many people find them buyots as “baduy” or out of fashion which is actually not a bad thing. But one thing is for sure that those who dread buyots as baduy are in many sense, the very people who are as plastic as the plastic bags that litter in the dumps. So let’s not be one of them.

http://www.philstar.com/cebu-business/2012-09-01/844296/plastic-or-paper-bag-search-greener-alternative

No More Plastic Bags – Great Alternatives

Responsible, environmentally aware people prefer not to use polyethylene bags in the home, but what alternatives to plastic bags are available for consumers?

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By
Julie Burtinshaw on Nov 11, 2009
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Plastic Bags: They are cheap, they are convenient and they are deadly. All over the world, responsible, environmentally-minded people are urging their governments, at all levels, to reduce the use of polyethylene bags or even ban the use of plastic bags completely. Many cities, towns and municipalities are responding to this grass-roots pressure by:

• Banning polyethylene bags altogether

• Levying a tax on polyethylene bags

• Charging consumers for use of plastic bags at the cash-register

• Providing consumers with incentives to use alternatives to, or to recycle plastic bags

• Offering low-priced cloth-bags at the cash-register

Countries Where Plastic Bags are Banned or Heavily Taxed: • Paris (Whole of France by the end of 2010)

• Uganda

• Ireland

• China

• Bangladesh

• Parts of the UK

• Taiwan

• Kenya

• South Africa

• Italy

• India

• Australia

Other countries, including Canada and many parts of the United States are currently working on full or partial bans of plastic bags. Even in cities and towns where bans, levies and incentives are not yet in place, savvy consumers are turning their backs on polyethylene products and choosing more environmentally responsible alternatives.

Why Should Plastic Bags be Banned?
According to the San Francisco Department of the Environment, Worldwatch Institute, four to five trillion non-degradable plastic bags are in use worldwide every year. To put these numbers in perspective, it takes 430,000 gallons of oil to produce a mere 100 million non-degradable plastic bags.
The Toll of Plastic Bags on Marine Mammals
If those figures aren't shocking enough, consider that plastic bags kill, at a conservative estimate, a minimum of 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year. When marine mammals ingest plastic bags which they have confused with jelly fish and other food forms, choking results or even worse the animal's intestines become blocked and they suffer a slow, cruel, and 100% preventable death.

Plastic Bags as Trash Bin Liners: Do Alternatives Exist?
Many people who have cut down on their plastic bag usage in the home still find themselves using polyethylene to line garbage containers and kitchen trash bins. There are many alternatives to using plastic bags for these purposes, but a little effort is needed of one is determined to make a difference:

• Reuse

• Reduce

• Recycle

• Compost

To begin with, every home should have a compost. There are worm composting systems for apartment dwellers that fit easily under the sink or on balconies, so those who don't live in a house with a yard no longer have a valid excuse for not composting.
Most cities and towns have recycling at the curb programs and yet many people continue to throw recyclables into the trash. Take a little extra time to know what materials can be recycled where you live.

By reusing, reducing, recycling, and composting, people will greatly decrease the amount of garbage produced per household each year. For items that must be thrown out, use environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic. This will cost slightly more, but only to bank accounts, not wildlife. A quick internet search reveals three of many such alternatives:

1. Buygreen.com (trash bags and other environmental good for businesses and consumers) 2. BagToNature Kitchen trash bags (made out of corn)

3. Reusable Bags (Endorsed by Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth)
Alternatives to Plastic Bags for Shopping:
With a little planning, it is possible to visit the shops and never use plastic bags. Shoppers should store keep reusable bags in their cars, in bike carriers and purses so they never find themselves in a position where they are forced to use polyethylene. Should this happen, ask for paper bags at the check-out. The following is a list of some easily available plastic bag alternatives:

• Cloth bags

• Hemp bags

• Nylon bags

• Baskets

• Pushcarts/walkers

• Backpacks

In the end, it is up to the consumer to make environmentally responsible decisions. With a little thought and minimal effort, it is possible to eliminate the use of plastic bags in the home. For more information on the danger of plastic bags to the environment, visit Say No to Plastic Bags

http://suite101.com/article/ban-plastic-bags-alternatives-to-polyethylene-a168255

Cebu City's Garbage and Drainage Problems

Cebu's Drainage System is Clogged With Garbage - Leads to Massive Floods

Early this 2011, Cebu City experienced one of the worst floods. Thousands of commuters were stranded for hours as flood levels in various parts of the city reached knee-high levels. This came at almost the same time Cebu City Mayor Rama was mulling over where to setup a new landfill for the city's garbage.

Indeed, there are many reasons why the drainage pipes are not functioning properly. Garbage is one such problem, and most of this comes from people who have built temporary houses along rivers. These persons throw all their waste indiscriminately into the water.

Moreover, ordinary persons also have the habit of throwing their trash just anywhere. This also leads to the clogging up of drainage systems. It is also a fact that the current drainage pipes installed in Cebu's underbelly are just too small for the rapidly growing city.

There is just too much waste passing through these pipes. It is a problem that needs to be solved soon.

Which to Solve First: Garbage or Drainage Problem?

Still, there is the question of which problem to solve first. It is obvious that a new landfill has to be found immediately. Also, it would be good to transfer those living along rivers to safer places as well. But both the solving of the drainage and garbage problems will cost the Cebu City government a huge amount of money.

They may not have enough funds to solve one much less two problems at the same time. The local government has plans of engaging in recycling as a solution to both problems. This is a good idea, if it can be implemented well.

Recycling plants of whatever kind are huge investments though. The government might be better of giving incentives (such as tax incentives) to businessmen, so they will be encouraged to set up their own recycling plants. That way, the government can encourage green businesses and help solve the city's problems at the same time.