“WHEN YOU REFUSE TO REUSE, IT’S THE EARTH YOU ABUSE”

-VICHAROO

Solid waste management is a universal issue that matters to every single person in the world. And with over 90% of waste openly dumped or burned in low-income countries, it is the poor and most vulnerable who are disproportionately affected. Solid waste management was really a problem in barangay Motibot, until it became a serious issue to the people, the council took action on it, on its process of attaining proper solid waste management it was a bumpy road with an uphill and downhill battle that they have to face. 

January 2019, we were immersed in barangay Motibot and found out that improper solid waste management was really a problem they’re trying to combat. The council did some adaptation of ordinance and resolution, became active in promoting proper waste segregation in each household and educating each household that segregation should start at home, did several sectoral clean-up and coastal clean-up. The group did waste analysis computation of waste in barangay Motibot and found out that most of the waste collected were biodegradable, followed by recyclable, residuals then special trash. In the process of evaluation, we were successful at first as it is reflected by the award received by the council for the being the 2^nd in Solid waste management in Sindangan next to barangay Upper Inuman.

Long-term effects should be the primary goal of solid waste management, as discipline should be instilled in each household member and practice should start at home. Repeated health teaching, constant reminder, giving of IEC materials, posting of IEC in designated areas in Barangay Motibot, several surprise visit and inspection, construction of pet holding facility and trash bin out of recycled bottled water, several coastal and sectoral clean-up and involving the stakeholders are just some of the things that can help, support and promote solid waste management, but in the end we still need to target the roots which is what the group is doing, educating the youth in Barangay Motibot and in Motibot Elementary School, doing several and repeated health teaching in each member of the households in each sector, pointing out the importance of proper waste management, and it should start at home and parents should be engaged and start teaching their kids the importance of proper segregation and how it can impact the environment. 

Numbers of households practicing proper waste segregation increased from 90.56% in 2019 to 97% in 2022, households practicing composting from 48.23% in 2019 to 95% in 2022, households practicing recycling from 5.12% in 2019 to 76% in 2022 and non-practice of open burning from 85.83% in 2019 to 96% in 2022. In general, the group were able to achieve and increase the number of households practicing proper solid waste management from 35% to 92.91% based on the definition of Solid Waste Management in Barangay Motibot by the year 2022.

NURULLAJI A. AGUIL

LEVEL IV, ADZU - SOM

Ever since December of 2019 when the pandemic started, Solid Waste Management seemed to be the least of the problems of the community. As we go back to barangay Motibot two years later, the group made sure to check if each household still practiced segregation, composting, recycling, and non-practice of open burning. 

                                    

Thus, in coordination with the municipality’s ordinance on Solid Waste Management under RA 9003, the team together with the barangay council, BHWs, and sanitary inspector, did a house-to-house evaluation on each household in every purok in the barangay. Households who were caught not practicing proper solid waste management were given citation ticket and penalized for their act to set an example that this program is to be prioritized. 

                                    

A brief lecture was also conducted to reiterate how proper segregation, composting, and recycling is done.

                                    

Through this project, not only can we reduce, reuse, and recycle, but a sense of responsiblity, even in the most minute way, can produce something out of rubbish.

                                    

 written by:

NURULLAJI A. AGUIL

LEVEL 4, ADZU SOM

Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials including pamphlets, posters, and video infomercials were turned over to the Motibot Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) as part of the information dissemination campaign that targets to educate the public about the importance of Solid Waste Management (SWM) despite these trying times. Posters are displayed on key locations such as the Motibot barangay hall and on each of the seven (7) Material Recovery Facilities in the barangay. 

Materials for the building of the collection facility for the “Shoot that Bottle” campaign were also given. The said project is geared towards promoting collection of PET bottles that can be sold and be a source of income that can be used to fund projects that will benefit the whole community.

IZRA JENINE ATILANO

MEDICAL STUDENT, ADZU-SOM

Solid waste management (SWM) is a public health service whose importance is often understated. When the solid waste management challenge is exacerbated by a public health emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic, its real significance as an essential service becomes more apparent. Waste Management is one of the most important sanitary barriers to prevent dissemination of illnesses and diseases. It is important to recall that the continuity of the waste services is not only for municipal waste but also for hazardous industrial and healthcare waste. Indeed, among the essential services, pharmaceutical industry, chemical industry, energy sector and incineration produce hazardous waste. The continuity and continued functionality of recycling are also important during and after the Coronavirus crisis passes, especially in light of the above: if households and businesses massively stop with separating recyclables, the overall waste system will be saddled with between 30 and 50% more materials and there is a risk of system failure. As such, the team came up with the plan of modifying the Barangay Motibot waste management system to tailor-fit these difficult times. On top of the list are lectures to be conducted to Material Recovery Facility(MRF)-assigned personnel as part of the education and information dissemination campaign created to educate them about the proper handling of waste during the new normal. Next, provision of personal protective equipments (PPEs) shall be proposed to the barangay council which is to be given to said persons who have one of the highest risk of being infected from different household-contaminated materials. And lastly, disinfection of the MRFs once a month after every collection is proposed as to prevent cross contamination of nearby households and potential air-borne transmission. It is important to recognize the role of waste workers and services as an essential component, especially in this period. The team is very much dedicated in protecting these front liners.

JENINE ATILANO

ADZU-SOM

Waste management is defined as the activities and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitoring and regulation of the waste management process. Improper disposal of barangay solid waste can create unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and to outbreaks of vector-borne disease—that is, diseases spread by rodents and insects.

A crucial part in the solid waste management process is for the core team to be able to identify and analyze the current situation of the community to provide a firm basis for critical planning decisions and to be able to acquire baseline data that can be the basis for future evaluation of changes and impacts of the planned solid waste management programs and activities. In line with this, the team conducted a Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS), a 5-day collection, processing and analysis of waste generated from various sources in barangay Motibot. The study aims to gather baseline data regarding waste quantity and composition so that the team may be able to create relevant waste management programs and activities. The results of the study showed that out of the 247kg of waste collected; 43.28% of the wastes are biodegradable, 25.79% are recyclable, 23.93% are residual and 7.00% are special trash. This shows that waste management programs should be geared more towards biodegradable and recyclable types of wastes.

Education and information dissemination campaigns also started beginning with lectures conducted to the community people, barangay council, and grade school students in Motibot Elementary School. This activity aims to increase the knowledge of the community regarding solid waste management. Pre-tests and post-tests were given to measure the lecture’s effectivity. Pamphlets, containing proper segregation information and ordinances implemented in the barangay, were also handed to households to supplement the lectures given. Lastly, posters were placed in key locations in the barangay including, the seven (7) Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs), school bulletin boards and the barangay hall. All of these are only few of the planned programs of the team to ensure that the goal of increasing the number of households practicing solid waste management in barangay Motibot is achieved by year 2022.