Waste production is rising at an alarming rate around the world. The World Bank (2022) estimated that in 2020, humans produced about 2.24 billion tons of solid waste. Waste production could increase by 73% per year by 2050 as a result of population growth and increased urbanization. This is where waste management comes into play, as proper waste segregation means less waste end up in landfills. Reduced raw material extraction and production, recovered materials and energy replacing virgin materials and fossil-fuel energy sources, and carbon bound in soil via compost application are also climate benefits of waste practices (UNEP, 2010). More importantly, as a healthy public policy, waste segregation contributes to promotion of public health. For instance, improper disposal of hazardous waste can lead to serious health issues as well as the contamination of soil and water sources, hence, they should not be mixed with other types of waste.
In the Philippines, RA 9003 or The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 was implemented with the goal of increasing environmental awareness and action among Filipinos through establishing national and local integrated, comprehensive and ecological waste management programs (WWF, 2020). In our locality, Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, solid waste management is a priority. Our municipality offers a waste segregation-at-source program and extends assistance down to the barangay level by way of capacity enhancement programs on proper handling and disposal of waste.
References:
United Nations Environment Programme. (2010). Waste and Climate Change: Global trends and strategy framework. Waste and Climate Change: Global Trends and Strategy Framework, 1. https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/8648/Waste&ClimateChange.pdf?sequence=3
World Bank Group. (2022, May 31). Solid Waste Management. World Bank. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/urbandevelopment/brief/solid-waste-management#:%7E:text=In%202020%2C%20the%20world%20was,3.88%20billion%20tonnes%20in%202050.
WWF. (2020, January). Practice Zero Waste Lifestyle Everyday. Retrieved September 2, 2022, from https://wwf.org.ph/resource-center/story-archives-2020/zero-waste-lifestyle/