Philippines seen to produce 16.6M metric tons of garbage by end-2020

The Philippines is projected to generate 16.6 million metric tons (MT) of trash by the end of 2020, according to Mark Salazar’s report on “24 Oras.”

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the Philippines is ranked third country in Southeast Asia for the most trash, with each individual able to generate 0.414 kilogram of waste per day.

“This means that the average Filipino adult produces between two to three times their own body weight in trash over the course of a single year,” Gatchalian said.

According to Gatchalian, the 16.6 MT of trash may fill more than 23,000 swimming pools or 99 Philippine Arenas, which is one of the biggest indoor arenas in the country.

“If we continue down this current path of waste generation, the amount of solid waste we are projected to produce in 2030 is enough to fill an additional 5,435 Olympic-size swimming pools or another 24 Philippine Arenas,” Gatchalian said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it uses 290 dump trucks to collect trash from only nine pumping stations every three months.

“Ang pinaka-marami po diyan, plastic. ‘Yan ho ‘yung nangunguna. Ngayon ho, may makikita tayong padagdag na mga mask. So ‘yung mga face mask po na surgical, dumagdag po ‘yan, pero hindi naman po ganoon kadami. At lalo na ho ‘yung kitchen waste, ‘yung mga basura ho na galing naman sa bahay,” MMDA Assistant Secretary Celine Pialago said.

Gatchalian added that only 30 percent of barangays segregate the trash that they collect.

Should the segregation be followed, most of the country’s waste may be converted into fertilizers as they are biodegradable, 28 percent may be recycled, while 18 percent are residual waste such as sanitary napkins, he said. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News