Reduction of household waste urged

A waste and pollution watchdog urged Metro Manila households to reduce their garbage size that oftentimes clog waterways to help ease flood risk, especially during the rainy season.

“By cutting our waste size and safely managing our discards, we avoid turning our streets and rivers into dumping sites and flood ponds after heavy rains,” EcoWaste Coalition president Roy Alvarez said.

EcoWaste suggested to Metro Manila households to reduce their waste size, shun littering and dumping, and to separate their discards at source for reusing, recycling, and composting.

According to Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Director Juan Miguel Cuna, 30,000 tons or 5,000 truckloads of garbage are generated in the country every day. Of this, only half are collected, he noted.

In Metro Manila alone, the daily garbage generation is at 8,000 tons per day or 1,400 truckloads.

Cuna said, 70 percent of Metro Manila’s waste are collected, but the remaining 30 percent are uncollected ending up in canals, vacant lots, street corners, market places, creeks and rivers, or into the sea.

EcoWaste reminded the public to recall the “epic floods” of tropical cyclone “Ondoy” to fulfill our environmental responsibility to minimize the effects of nature’s wrath.

“Environmental discipline is necessary to keep our waterways garbage-free,” Alvarez said.

Citing a data from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), EcoWaste said among the most flood risk areas in Metro Manila are Sampaloc, and Rizal Avenue corner R. Papa in Manila; Makati Diversion Channel along South Superhighway, and Buendia Avenue in Makati City.

Also considered as flood-prone areas are Maysilo Circle, Boni Avenue, Panaderos Street, Kalentong Street, Acacia Lane and Shaw Boulevard, all in Mandaluyong City; Barangay Salapan and Bagong Bato in San Juan City; and Barangays Imelda, Damayang Lagi, Tatalon and Talayan in Quezon City.

Aside from enforcing the salient provisions of the Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, the group also urged local government units to rehabilitate drainage facilities in their respective areas that had been heavily silted or have collapsed in the course of time.

“A systematic rehabilitation of our aging drainage system will go a long way in reducing destruction to life and property caused by flood woes,” EcoWaste said.