REDUCING POLLUTION. Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-7) Regional Director William Cuñado delivers his message during the 4th Solid Waste Management Summit and Expo 2019 at the Ayala Center Cebu on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019. Cuñado cited the role of the local government units in the efforts of the government to reduce pollution through proper waste management. (PNA photo by John Rey Saavedra)
CEBU CITY – An official of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Central Visayas on Wednesday cited the role of the local government units (LGUs) in achieving success in efforts to reduce pollution through proper management allowed by law.
EMB-7 Regional Director William Cuñado said the region's impressive economic growth over the past few decades has been accompanied by increased pollution.
“The environment problem has been globally affecting humans enormously, especially with regards to health… We have pollutants in our air, land, water, contaminating the air we breathe, water we use, and killing wildlife and marine habitats,” Cuñano said in his message in the 4th Solid Waste Management Summit and Expo 2019 at the Ayala Center Cebu here.
Cuñado admitted that there are municipalities still operating the open or controlled dumpsites which have been prohibited since 2006.
According to him, these dumpsites generate a mixture of pollutants such as methane emissions, toxic and hazardous wastes, and plastic wastes.
Cuñado cited that a total of 2.8 million kilograms of wastes per day are being generated in Central Visayas alone, and noted that the “amount of waste generated per person has been increasing per year.”
This, he said, will continue to grow unless LGUs work hard for the implementation of the 10-year solid waste management plan.
Cuñado said only 65 LGUs in Central Visayas adopt a comprehensive plan to manage their solid wastes, but such number represents 50 percent of all the municipalities and cities in the region.
He cited a few ways to reduce solid wastes such as “source reduction practices”, bringing reusable bags to the market, avoiding single-use plastics, ang using recyclable packaging, as well as proper waste segregation and collection practices.
“Waste segregation largely minimizes the amount of waste going to landfills since the residual waste is the only one which is supposed to end up in the landfill. The rest can be diverted through recycling and composting,” he said.
He also urged LGUs and organizations to practice composting.
He cited a public elementary school in Negros Oriental with 300 students that earn PHP67,500 from their vegetable sales utilizing compost as soil conditioner. The school also earned PHP1,500 for sales of recyclable materials with zero investment. (PNA)
