Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he burning of garbage in one鈥檚 backyard is among the common practices the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) hopes to put an end to following an agreement with several cities to minimize toxic emissions from household trash.
The DENR on Thursday signed a deal with the mayors of the cities of Butuan, Bacolod, Cabanatuan, Legazpi, General Santos and Iloilo to formalize their participation in the Integrated Persistent Organic Pollutants Project or IPOPS, officials said.
The mayors committed themselves to reducing pollutants called 鈥渄ioxins鈥� and 鈥渇urans鈥� in their respective localities not only in backyards but in their cities鈥� dumps.
鈥淒ioxins and furans are two of what we call the 鈥榙irty dozen鈥� chemicals whose worldwide use and production are strictly covered by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants signed in 2001 because of their long-term serious impact on the environment and public health,鈥� said Environment Secretary Ramon Paje in a statement.
But unlike the other chemicals on the list, dioxins and furans are 鈥渦nintentional pollutants,鈥� as they are byproducts of incomplete combustion, or burning, of materials such as household garbage, Paje said.
鈥淭he emissions or usok (smoke) that we create whenever we burn our garbage in our backyards, and also as a result of the spontaneous combustion in open dumps, contain these two chemicals,鈥� he said.
He said that according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the two chemicals were likely 鈥渃ancer causing substances to human.鈥�
Under the agreement, the city governments will stop the practice of burning garbage in dumps, rehabilitate them and resort to using landfills. They will also prevent the practice of open burning in backyards and other public places.
The DENR will provide assistance to the local government units (LGU) through 鈥渄isposal windows鈥� or 鈥渃ollection windows,鈥� Paje said.
A disposal window is designed to prevent burning by providing for soil cover and gas vents for landfills, bulldozers and chain link fences, and subsequently the development of the closed dump.
On the other hand, the collection window is aimed at teaching households not to burn their own garbage. It would also enable LGUs to monitor compliance as well as to receive garbage collection trucks, collection stations, composting equipment and funds for their maintenance.