Mandatory segregation of Solid Waste to be conducted at the source
The implementation of RA 9003, the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which calls for a planned, comprehensive, and ecological waste management program to ensure the protection of public health and the environment, encouraged the Philippines to work hard in improving the management of solid waste. The National Ecology Center was made in charge of informing, advising, educating, and training various local government units on ecological waste management (DENR, 2019). The target population of this public health policy is every Filipino citizen, especially those living in households.
This policy entails a lot of advantages but the main one is that this will establish a sustainable disposal system of residual wastes in all areas that will lead to the improvement of our environment. Since the solid wastes are already segregated, it would be easier for the garbage collectors to organize them. This would also lead to less space usage since there would be fewer wastes in dump sites because the majority of the wastes are either recycled or used as another product. The organization of solid waste would also cause a decrease in health illnesses, especially those diseases that are caused by pollution and contamination. Overall, this would increase the county’s safety while encouraging everyone to have an impactful attitude about their waste. On the other hand, the only disadvantage I can think of from this policy would be the additional space and cost it will entail the households in creating different bins for different wastes.
In my locality, which is in Imus City, I can see it being followed but not entirely. Around the city, in the parks and public areas, you can see clusters of garbage bins with different purposes. There are also Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) around the city, where a percentage of household wastes are brought to be used again. In my high school, we also have our own MRF there. Although not every household practices solid waste segregation, I can certainly say that this health policy is evident in my locality, and I can see it being practiced more in the following years.
REFERENCE:
Department of Environment and Natural Resources. (2019). Solid Waste Management. Denr.gov.ph. https://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/priority-programs/solid-waste-management