Philippines faces garbage crisis- DENR

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu said the Philippines is facing a garbage crisis because of the high volume of waste produced by Filipinos.

“We are now in the middle of a garbage crisis. If we continue to act only for our independent interests, continue to spoil our water bodies, and fail to responsibly manage our wastes, we will not be able to sustain our efforts on this campaign,” said Cimatu.

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In the first quarter, Metro Manila residents generated 34,574.77 cubic meters, while in the second quarter, it hit 32,221.17 cubic meters.

Cimatu insists that clean-up drives are no longer effective in Manila Bay rehabilitation.

Philippines faces garbage crisis

He also said that indiscriminate waste disposal had become a culture and behavior of Filipinos.

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In the past clean-up drives, the rubbish returned a few weeks later due to the prevalence of residents continuing to have no discipline in disposing of their garbage.

“We and the following generations will all suffer the consequences if we do not change the way we behave as an organization and as individuals,” warned Cimatu.

Among the temporary actions that the DENR is proposing are putting walls into the rivers to prevent people from dumping garbage and installing ‘septic tanks’ for ‘informal settlers’ before their relocation is completed.

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This November, the DENR inspected 13,212 establishments around Manila Bay. One hundred seven of which were issued cease-and-desist orders due to violations, 2,684 were issued with a notice of violation of environmental regulations while 1,910 issuances would be added.

The DENR is set to issue a Department Order to ban the use of ‘single-use plastic,’ which is a major waste that blocks waterways in Metro Manila and other cities.