Zero Waste Conference 2018 Themed “No to Incineration”

I attended the Zero Waste Conference 2018 held last 26 January at the QCX Museum, Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City. The event was graced by speakers from non-government organizations like Greenpeace and Buklod Tao, some local government units, and some government-run institutions like the Philippine Heart Center. These experts in the field of solid waste management, anti-waste incineration, urban farming, models for zero waste, and climate change presented presentations involving challenges and sustainable solution towards zero waste society.

Outside the seminar hall, a fair was held in which participating/supporting companies were given a booth to present their products and/or services.

"Pairalin RA 9003" (Enact R.A. 9003) was one of the rallying cries of the conference.
(Republic Act 9003 is the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.)

I also laud the organizers for being faithful to the cause by using natural sunlight in the seminar hall and using reusable cutlery when serving lunch. The discussions can be summarized succinctly as follows: We are living in the age of overshoot – mindless growth and consumption strains the Earth’s carrying capacity. In an audit conducted by volunteers, 49.33% of garbage floating around Manila Bay is single-use plastic. Waste-to-energy solutions may seem to make waste disappear – but it does not solve the problem of overconsumption in the first place. The rest of discussions focused on some of the efforts done by sincere LGUs to combat the waste problem.

On Waste-To-Energy (WTE)

The main point of those who are fully-against incineration is that it "brainwashes people" into believing that the waste problems have been solved and they are free to consume carelessly. When I had a casual discussion about this with my friends who are also taking up Environmental Engineering, they agreed that the previous statement has a point.

A concern-causing statement shared by these groups is their claim that all waste-to-energy processes produce dioxins and furans. Not all WTE processes directly produce dioxins and furans as some non-burn processes like gasification and pyrolysis rarely produce especially when optimal conditions are set. (There are academic journals that can be cited, but I will reserve it for a more technical article.) We should be just as concerned about most burning processes in incineration (waste-to-energy), the most common of which is open burning. The latter is rampant in the Philippines especially in places with little or no solid waste management. I would go for an approach that is more realistic, that is, considering what is already happening. I agree with EcoWaste Coalition's stance in intensifying zero waste campaigns and information drive that aim to steer people away from wasteful practices. Pressuring big companies to reduce plastic from packaging is one of their ongoing efforts. However, let us also consider that unless we have some sort of green authoritarian regime, we cannot force all people to abandon their wasteful practices. In a weak state like the Philippines, where law enforcement is spotty, it’s no surprise that even laws against littering are rarely enforced.

This is where WTE must be used in urbanized areas like Metro Manila. We must do a double approach, like focusing both on information campaigns to steer away from consumerist tendencies of people and improving recycling procedures with WTE as last resort. "May point naman sila." (They have a point.) my friend said regarding the conference's stance. As an engineer, I believe in a mixed middle ground solution considering what is really going on and what can we do to intensify information campaign. Eh, what do you do? As of now, here are some things I do and I encourage you to do the same:

• Segregate wastes at source. Even if “someone else” (like your local Materials Recovery Facility) will segregate the wastes (hopefully), it’s still good to at least have a separate waste bin for biodegradable wastes (like in your kitchen). Follow RA 9003.
• Compost (if possible)
• I live in a house with maximum airflow, thus we are able to maintain a 1.5K pesos electricity bill per month. This is around kWh consumption. (The only exemption is during the summer months.)
• We collect rainwater, and even our LGU does the same by having their offices and public schools collect rainwater.
• Reuse some plastics. As much as possible, do not use disposable straws.
• Don't buy clothes made from polyester and synthetic fibers. These fibers do not degrade and contribute to microfiber pollution.

A classroom chair made from waste plastic materials.

There are many other things we can do that may be beyond the scope of this post. Anyhow, the conference was great in allowing environmentalists and other eco-warriors to meet each other and forge friendships. May the lessons the speakers imparted be put to heart by the audience.