Up to 65,000 tons of waste generated daily nationwide — DENR 

More than 60,000 tons of waste are being generated daily nationwide, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said as the country's waste management problem was brought to light due to the recent heavy rains.

In a television interview, Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones said that only 52% of the country's waste are being collected.

"Base sa aming data, at least 52% of our generation, ayun lang yung nako-kolekta natin. But the rest, about 48% of our garbage generation, either napupunta sa water waste, napupunta sa water body, yung iba nakakalat sa daan. Ito yung tinutuganan natin kung paano natin ma-address kapag rainy season, Habagat," Leones told GMA News' Balitanghali.

(Based on our data, we only collect at least 52% of our total waste generation. But the rest, about 48% of our garbage generation, either goes to wastewater, ends up in bodies of water, or gets scattered on the streets. This is what we are responding to and trying to address during the rainy season and the Habagat.)

The DENR official said that each Filipino generates .75 kilograms of waste per day.

"Ganito ang sitwasyon diyan, bawat katao ng ating bansa, approximately nage-generate ng .75 kilograms ng waste everyday...Ang ating generation nationwide ay pumapatak ng 61,000 tons to 65,000 tons per day. So napakalaking ng generation natin sa waste," said Leones.

(Here is the situation: every person in our country generates approximately 0.75 kilograms of waste per day... Our nationwide generation reaches about 61,000 tons to 65,000 tons per day. So our waste generation is huge.)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier blamed improperly disposed garbage for worsening floods. He urged local government units and the public to properly dispose of their waste.

For its part, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said that simple clearing operations would not be enough if the garbage buildup continues.

Although the volume of waste being generated in the Philippines is less than compared to other countries, Leones said that other countries have the technology to properly manage their waste.

"Maliit pa rin yun dahil kapag nagpunta ka sa ibang bansa like sa Singapore or sa US, talagang mas malakas sila mag-generate ng waste sa atin. Kaya lang mayroon silang technology na ina-adapt para ma-address yung kanilang solid waste. They adapt waste-to-energy technology, and then they have facilities for effective recycling and recovery facilities. Dito sa atin, kulang 'yun," he said.

(That is still small because if you go to other countries like Singapore or the US, they generate much more waste than we do. However, they adapt technology to address their solid waste. They adapt waste-to-energy technology, and then they have facilities for effective recycling and recovery facilities. Here in our country, we lack those.)

"Kailangan natin i-revisit yung mga provision ng ating batas para mapalakas din yung pag-address ng basura dito sa ating bansa," he added.

(We need to revisit the provisions of our law so we can strengthen how we address garbage here in our country.)

The DENR earlier admitted that the implementation of the Republic Act No. 9003 or the National Solid Waste Management Act of 2001 - which prohibits operating open dumpsites or allowing the unauthorized collection and transport of solid wastes - has never been easy.

The department noted that several fourth to sixth class municipalities do not have the capacity to establish landfills in their own areas. — RSJ, GMA News