WALONG TULOG NA LANG

SOMETHING SMELLS!

By Alan S. Gensoli

Before I start, let me congratulate the convenors and members of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance. Today, the Anti-BAHA marks its first year anniversary, in contemplative fashion, with a concelebrated mass at 11:00 a.m. at the La Salle chapel. You are all invited to attend and join us pray for solutions to our flooding and garbage problems. The main celebrant will be Msgr. Vic Rivas. See you there. 

Walong tulog na lang, December 5 na. Today’s column is part two of my column yesterday, about frequently asked questions on garbage segregation, now that our government has agreed with the DENR that it will begin collecting residual wastes on Dec. 5, 2008. Yesterday, I wrote about waste characterization, containers for segregated garbage, recyclables, and reusables. Here now are items 5 to 10. 

5. What are compostables? These are your garden trimmings, leaves, branches, grass cuttings, dead flowers, rotten fruits and veggies, that you should decompose and turn to garden fertilizer. Read my column last Nov. 10. I talked about making a natural spray to hasten the decomposition process. It’s called IMO. But if you want to know more about composting and natural farming, you might want to consult the Negros Island Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development Foundation (NISARD). They hold office at the second floor of the provincial capitol. They are very friendly and always ready to share secrets. If I may also mention, I suggest that you visit the farm of Bachoy and Pamela Henares, and the farm of Mon Peñalosa. Here you will realize that garbage is resource. And if you’re not lazy, you will start to compost immediately because these two farms are so inspirational. Hats off to these people. 

Just last weekend, some friends from Lucban, Quezon, came over to visit the farm of Mon Peñalosa. I was told, a Mayor from Iloilo and his councilors were also there to learn. It is embarrassing to realize that others from distant places come to our shores to learn from one of us, something that we ourselves have not bothered to learn. If others can spend money to journey over, there’s no reason why you cannot drive over. 

6. What is household hazardous waste?? These are old batteries, broken fluorescent lamps, old mercury thermometers, paint and allied chemicals of paint, like thinner and wood coatings, used oil and grease from your cars, expired medicines and chemicals, used “First Aid” materials, such as used gauze pads and cotton, and everything else that sounds vaguely scientific it raises the suspicion that it contains hazardous chemicals or it could spread disease. 

Ideally, government should pick up household hazardous wastes and dispose of them in a special disposal facility - the law requires that, too. But for now, our government doesn’t have one. And since household hazardous wastes cannot be recycled, reused, or composted, for sure we will tend to dump them all as residual waste. I suggest that you be selective if you decide to commit that sin. Some materials are extremely dangerous when sent even to a sanitary landfill, let alone our open dump. It would be best if you can safely hang on to these until government knows better and advises us. 

7. And so, what is residual waste? As I wrote in this column last Oct. 27, this is the only kind of garbage that our government will pick up starting Dec. 5, 2008. Anything that you cannot recycle, reuse, or rot, anything that is not hazardous, is residual waste. Based on this definition, you will realize that your residual waste is very little, probably 10% of your total garbage. Some common residuals are used facial tissues, used kitchen paper towels, cigarette butts, swabs and pads used to remove make-up, and used cotton buds, and plastic product wrappings. 

Now, if you want to be a better citizen, you can decide to bury your residual waste and, therefore, send “zero waste” to the city’s dumpsite. This is the principle behind Zero Waste Management. And your household will be in the same league as those at Forbes Park. Imagine that. 

8. What about used sanitary napkin? How should I know? My guess is, it’s a toss between household hazardous and residual waste. I suggest you call City Hall and the DENR because they should know. 

9. What about styro food containers? Again, check with the junk shop near you. If they buy them, brilliant! Otherwise, just avoid take out food if they’re contained in styro food containers. Styrofoam contains CFC, or chlorofluorocarbons, a major cause of global warming. CFC can be released to the atmosphere by a mere tear of the styro. It’s that dangerous and fragile. 

One day, several months back, I chanced upon a delivery truck selling styro food containers. The advertisement on the side panel of the truck claimed that their styro does not contain CFC. Oh really? Please be careful with claims like this. Verify, and verify, and verify. And if you cannot verify, err on the side of caution: do not buy anything that comes in a styro. 

10. What about plastic bags? What do we do with them? If you can afford to have nothing to do with plastic bags, all the better. Avoid them, refuse them. But if you must, well then, at least reduce your dependence on plastic bags. Like household hazardous waste, the problem with plastic bags is our tendency to send them off as residual waste, especially using them to contain our residual waste. Remember, plastics photodegrade into minute but extremely poisonous particles. 

Plastic bags, like the grocery sando bags, may in time become recyclable, too. It is best to check your neighborhood junk shop. If you find a junk shop that will buy plastic bags, please let us all know through this newspaper. It’s not very common, you see. Last time we learned that someone in Brgy. Balaring in Silay accepts plastic bags, then shreds them for some new use. But I don’t see myself going to Balaring every week, do you? 

Although that would be a perfect excuse to eat in Balaring. The most practical thing to do about plastic bags is still to refuse it, or reduce it. 

Remember my friends from Lucban, Quezon? I learned from them that their Mayor has prohibited the use of plastic bags in their new wet market. That means, if you want to be a concessionaire there, you cannot use plastic bags. People in Lucban are now going back to native baskets and paper wrappings to separate the meat and produce they buy. Lucban is a town. Bacolod is a big city. If Lucban can do it, why cannot Bacolod? 

Here are a couple more strategies you can adopt to deal with plastics. First, when I shop for clothing, I always refuse to take the plastic wrap that the shirt comes packaged in. Better for that plastic to stay in the store than to go to my house. 

If all else fails, consider this second advice. Everytime I go to Manila, I load my luggage with plastic bags that have accumulated at home. Then I unload them in the hotel room. Better in the backyard of DENR Sec. Lito Atienza than in mine. Sorry, but hey, the secretary should have banned plastic bags a long, long time ago. That he did not, makes plastic bags his problem. Give to Atienza what belongs to Atienza. 

Manufacturing, distributing (like selling or giving away), and using non-environmentally acceptable materials (like plastic bags), is a prohibited act under R.A. 9003. The punishment for the first offense alone includes a fine of between 5% and 10% of your annual income. The problem is, failure to monitor these prohibited acts - which the DENR and the National Solid Waste Management Commission are guilty of - is not penalized as well. And so, DENR Sec. Lito Atienza and NSWMC Exec. Dir. Gerardo Calderon can continue to sleep on the job. Rock-a-bye baby!*