RESEARCH INFORMATION SERIES ON ECOSYSTEMS
Volume 12 No. 3
September – December 2000
MANAGEMENT and UTILIZATION
of URBAN SOLID WASTE
Compiled by
Salvacion S. Tidon
Foreword
Solid waste disposal has become a problem in many urban areas. With the increase in the
country’s population and with the rapid industrialization, the problem will aggravate further.
The government, to address the issues and problems on solid waste management, has issued
Republic Act No. 9003, otherwise known as the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management
Act of 2000. Recently, the DENR issued Administrative Order No. 2001-34 on the Implementing
Rules and Regulation Republic Act 9003.
Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) encompasses all aspects of environmentally
sound management systems, wherein, there should be no wastage of both material
(biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes) and immaterial (ideals and values) resources.
Relevant information materials on this topic have been synthesized in this publication as a
reference for future projects relating to household solid waste management techniques.
This issue is very timely and we hope to encourage greater public awareness and support to the
management and utilization of urban solid waste.
CELSO P. DIAZ
Director
Introduction
Urban or growth centers are now facing the problem of waste disposal. The large concentration
of people, animals, manufactured goods, automobiles, and all kinds of commodities, altogether
contribute to waste management problem. It not properly disposed of, domestic and industrial
waste can look ugly, emit foul smell and become a haven of insects, rats and animals that
spread diseases.
This material aims to provide a workable solid waste management and utilization system for
households.
Waste materials
In general, wastes can be categorized into agricultural, industrial and municipal wastes.
Agricultural waste
Agricultural wastes originate from animals and plants. The traditional disposal method for animal
manure has been to spread them on land. With larger operations, this method is now largely
impractical. The practice now is to dry the animal waste, which is sold to farmers. Agricultural
crop waste is processed into animal feeds or decomposed. Others are burned or dumped on
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rivers or creeks. A large potential market is the fertilizer industry, where compost is used as a
bonding material.
Industrial waste
Industrial wastes are generated from the production of plastics, pesticides, medicines, paints, oil
and petroleum products, metals and others. Industries, in general, have tried to convert waste
products into profitable products or less frequently into harmless disposal effluents. Most of the
collected wastes do not lend themselves easily or economically to utilization. Under some
circumstances, specific wastes, can be converted into profitable products. An example is
making fuel from industrial plastic waste. Three types of options being developed in plastic
industries are as follows: incinerating, reclaiming and converting into oil.
Incinerating is the simplest method and can be done to recover heat energy. Incinerator burns
waste products and may vary in design according to the type of waste burns.
Reclaiming is aimed at converting plastic wastes into some lower grade while prolonging the life
cycle of plastic. However, it does not reduce the plastic waste disposal problem.
Through thermal processing, waste is converted into oil or gas. This thermal cracking treatment
reduces plastic wastes into components, which have universal value as fuel. Thus, plastic
wastes can be treated and are ultimately reduced to natural material.
Another example of industrial waste is biodegradable oil waste from refineries. In the case of
biodegradable oil waste, the option used is land farming. This is the repeated controlled
application of oily material or biological sludge to a given soil and the promotion of naturally
occurring microbial assimilation to convert hydrocarbon and organic matter to the end products
of CO2, H2O and increased humus content of the soil.
Municipal waste
Municipal wastes come from garbage and other waste materials produced from households,
public markets, restaurants, office buildings, commercial establishments, etc. People produce
more and more wastes that are difficult to handle. For example, tin cans that rust and eventually
become part of the soil are being replaced by aluminum cans. These aluminum cans remain in
their original state for years. Paper packaging that decays and easily burns is being replaced by
plastic packaging that decays slowly and gives off gases when burned. Hence, garbage
becomes a real threat to our environment.
Waste management
Waste management consists of four options namely:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Waste reduction by preventing its creation/accumulation
Land filling waste
Incinerate waste or treat it in other ways to reduce volume
Recycle and produce compost as much as possible.
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Waste reduction
Reducing solid waste requires cutting the number and volume of discarded products.
Consumers can reduce household waste by buying high quality long lasting items that can be
repaired, instead of buying short-lived “disposal” alternative. The consumer typically pays a
much higher price per unit for such convenience item.
Many advocates of waste reduction use the term precycling. This concept refers to a consumer
making environmentally sound choices at the point of purchase. It includes avoiding products
with extra packaging for example like canned or boxed vegetables instead of fresh, unbagged
ones. Consumer choices can go a long way to influence what manufacturers make, while also
preventing some trash from entering the waste straw.
Landfilling is the least expensive and easiest method of disposal. This corresponds to the
common sanitary landfill used for municipal garbage. The waste remains essentially unchanged
and because of frequent soil cover, the site soon becomes exhausted.
Landfilling is satisfactory for many inert wastes. However, it is unsatisfactory for oily and
biological refinery wastes that do not degrade. This is due to the very little oxygen found in the
sludge’s. The use of the land is severely restricted because the layer of oil sludge remains for
many years. Moreover, there is a continued potential for leaching oil and soluble metals from
the site. If the oil has been mixed with garbage, the leaching of metals is a real threat since
organic acids from the garbage decomposition will solubilize the metals.
Incineration
This waste management option uses an incinerator machine, which is quite expensive. Mixed
trash is burned in the incinerator in a single combustion. The heat generated from the burning
material in the heat chamber is converted into usable electricity. The temperature in the
chamber reaches 2,000oF. The by-products are ash, which is sent to landfills.
Recycle/reuse and compost waste
This option is also known as the “Ecological Waste Management”. It aims to use waste to its
fullest in order to maintain round-the-clock cleanliness of the surrounding.
Ecological waste management
Two kinds of waste:
1. Decompostable, biodegradable or “nabubulok”
- food waste (peeling, left-over, vegetable trims, fish and fowl
innards/washings, soft shells, seeds, bones are pounded or grounded)
- garden waste (leaves, twig, wood)
- animal waste (manure, carcass)
- human waste (urine, feces)
entails,
2. Non-decompostable, non-biodegradable or hindi nabubulok
These cannot be composted or take too long to compost.
- tin can/metal
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-
glass/metal
plastic/Styrofoam/rubber
dry cloth/fiber
feather/hair/leather
hard shell/bone
Basic steps in ecological waste management
(Source: DENR ESWM Guidebook, 1999)
1. Sort-at-source
- pre-sort or segregate wastes into compostable and
- non-compostable
2. Package properly
- place in appropriate containers
For decompostables
- food waste should be placed in covered pails/cans and plastic containers
- garden, animal, human waste should be placed in plastic bags, sacks, kaings
- seeds could be saved for seed craft and seedlings can be grinded (e.g. atis, can be
used as insecticide)
For non-decompostables
- cans, metals bottles and the like can be placed in separate sacks or boxes
3. Use, reuse, dispose ecologically
Use
- food waste as animal food
- fermentable (rice washings, fruit peeling like banana/pineapple for wine, vinegar,
etc.)
- other food left-overs much as day old bread into puddings
- other food waste, garden, animal human waste as fertilizer (compost making)
Re-use
- non-compostable such as cans, bottles, old clothes, fiber, dry paper cardboards, by
selling these to the junk dealer or “magbobote”
- old, dry cloth as filing or stuffing for paper making
- feathers, hard shells, bones, some hard seeds for finecraft
Dispose ecologically
- avoid needless burning
- do not dump in open spaces, bodies of water, etc.
- adopt total recycling (use multi F’s: factory returnable, feed fertilizer, fuel, fine craft
etc.)
- make compost (see related discussion)
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Recycling is a way to:
(Source: Sabas, Luz, 1979, Four F’s of Total Recycling)
1. Keep large amount of solid wastes out of landfills. Prolong the life of the landfills and
saving the cost of waste disposal.
2. Conserve resources, avoiding the high cost of extracting virgin materials through mining,
tapping, cutting down trees and the like.
3. Save energy, since the manufacturing of secondary (recycled/glass, steel and aluminum
products and some plastic bottles) uses considerably less energy and creates fewer
pollutants than primary manufacturing.
The country’s burden of managing solid waste should be lessened if citizens could cut back on
the amount of materials they throw away. Reduce, re-use and recycle continue to be operative
words when making or avoiding the creation of trash.
Composting
Composting is the biological process by which organic material such s yard wastes, food wastes
are broken down by microorganisms (or microbes) in the presence of oxygen to form a humuslike substance called compost. Composting can take place in individual backyards (small-scale
composting or centralized facilities) or large-scale composting areas.
Rules of composting
(Source: PIA, Recycling Movement of the Philippines)
1. Sort waste and use only decompostable materials
For faster decomposting, cut, chop or slice materials into portions. Mix food, garden,
animal and human wastes.
2. Do not burn piles on top of composters
This will kill the biological “composters” and will delay the process.
3. Keep the waste moist or moderately wet but not soggy
Protect from too much rain to prevent leaching.
4. Mix, sprinkle or layer with soil
Soil contains decaying microbes and should be adequate (at least 20% or one-fifth to
total volume). Place enough soil in between layer or materials.
5. Aerate or allow air to circulate
As matter decays, heat is produced. Too much heat may kill and reduce the microbe,
delaying the composting process, hence, the importance of aeration by mixing the
compost every week.
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Procedure:
(Source: Zero Waste Management Guidebook 1999)
Twin pits
1. Dig two pits (twin pits) 0.5 m apart. The size and depth of each pit would depend on
one’s needs, but the ideal size would be 1 x 1 m.
2. Put small twigs at the bottom and place a hollow bamboo tube for air inlet at the center.
3. Follow the rules for composting, using the pits by twins, for an average household, it
might take a month to fill up each pit.
4. Wait for refuse to completely decompose or put manure conditioner or fertilizer into the
soil.
Car tires
1. Make four piles of old car tires directly on the ground and use them as container for
composting.
2. To aerate, just insert anything in between the tires.
3. If placed directly on cemented ground, line bottom with soil.
4. Follow the rules for composting.
Clay pots
1. Prepare six clay pots, a bolo to chop biodegradable into finer portion, a bag of soil,
leaves and sawdust.
2. Use each pot by turn.
3. Follow rules for composting.
4. By the time the six pots are full, in a month’s time, empty the contents of first pot and
use as soil conditioner for plants/trees/lawn.
5. Pots may be stacked on top of another but keep contents moist.
Plastic bags
1. Line plastic bags with soil.
2. Place chopped biodegradables and top with soil.
3. Moisten, then stock them on top of another while awaiting collection.
4. In a few weeks time, these will become clean, safe, odorless compost for plants.
References
DENR Guidebook, 1999. Ecological Solid Waste Management for Markets.
Diokno, G.R. 1995. “After the trash can”. Canopy International Vol. 21 Nos. 5 & 6.
Hammond, Allen. 1993. Environmental Almanac.
Inglett. George E. 1973. Symposium: Processing Agricultural and Municipal Wastes.
PIA. 1994. Recycling movement of the Philippines.
R.A. 9003. Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
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Rice Technology Bulletin. 10 steps in compost production, ISSN 0117-9799. 1998 p. 14.
Sabas, Luz. 1979. Master Thesis. UP, the Four F’s: total recycling scheme for domestic solid
waste.
Sorg, I.J. 1970. Industrial and Agricultural Solid Waste and Problem Involved in Their Disposal.
Techno Info Series. 1992. Garbage: A menace to the environment. Vol. 2 No. 4.
Techno Info Series. 1992. Pollution: Its effects to man and environment. Vol. 2 No. 3.
Wall, James D. 1980. Environment Management Handbook for Hydrocarbon Processing.
1999. Zero Waste Management Guidebooklet
Figure 1. Mahahalagang pagtutuunan ng pansin sa pagpapatupad.
(Source: 1999. Zero Waste Management Guidebook)
A. Edukasyon
Pagpapalaganap/pagtuturo
1. Information Dissemination
*
Leaflet/(Instruction or Letter of implementation)
Radio, T.V., Dyaryo, Meeting
*
Multi-Media-Billboards
Pangkalahatang Panawagan
2. Trainor’s Training of:
*
*
*
*
*
*
Community Leaders
Coordinators
Technician-ECO-Aides
Collectors
Maintenance
Livelihood Projects
Demonstrators
3. Audio Visual Aids
or Teaching Kits
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B. Engineering
Mga Kailangan:
Nabubulok/compostable/biodegradable
C. Enforcement (pagpapatupad/
pagpapakilos ng proyekto)
1. Persuasion (Panunuyo) ito ang
unahin at pagtiyagaan muna)
1. Sorters/Containers
Kitchen
Waste
Garden
Waste
Animal
Waste
Human
Waste
Pail
Bags
Drums
Cans
Household composters
Tambak
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Awards/Publicity/contests
Economic gain
Pera sa basura (Household
earning)
Community fund
Barter-goods
Raffle-tickets
Tourism Development
2. Compulsion (after reasonable
period of time)
Pits
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Tower
Tires
Plastic
Bags
Barangay Ordinance
Homeowners Regulations
Agency Regulations
Municipal/City Ordinance
Provincial Laws
National Laws
Executive-Directives
Legislative-Statues
Judicial-Courts
3. Sanction
Paso
Example: Non collection of unsorted
garbage.
2. Collection
3. Community Projects
Piggery
Feed or Fertilizer
Gardening
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D. Material Requirements
1. Hindi-nabubulok/Non-compostable/Non-biodegradable
Sack hanger
karton
lata, basyong bote
plastic
papel
2. Collection
3. Storage/Bodega
Garbage bin
Bodega
Factory
Truck
4. Market Potentials
Handicrafts
Fuel
a.
Firewood
Materials
b.
Flammable
Gases
c.
Energy
Efficient Stoves
d.
Biogas
Digesters
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