A Gap Analysis in Selected Asian Countries, 3R Knowledge Hub ...

BACKGROUND
Republic of Philippines is an island nation
located in Southeast Asia, with Manila as its
capital. It comprises over 7,000 islands with a
total land area of approximately 300,000 km 2 .
The country has a population of about 90
million contributing to an average GDP growth
rate of about 5% between 2002 and 2006.
An appreciable growth of GDP, as in any
developing country, is accompanied by a stress
on the natural resources and environment. The
government has various measures to protect the
country from man-made and natural disasters.
The high population and ever-changing
consumer preferences have led to an increase in
the waste generation rate and quantity. Waste
Management has always been an issue of
debate in landlocked countries. In the
Philippines, the situation becomes worse with
its discrete islets; transporting the waste to a
central facility takes the major portion of the
handling cost. In such situations, managing the
waste at the source by applying principles of 3R
looks to be an attractive option.
PRIORITY AREAS
In Metro Manila, paper waste tops the list of
recyclable materials and constitutes about 20%
of the waste volume or about 1,100 tons per day.
In the Philippines, more than 50% of the paper
industry’s fiber requirements are met by waste
paper. The recovery of waste paper in the
country is relatively low compared to other
Southeast Asian countries except Indonesia.
Thailand has a waste paper recovery rate of
33%, Singapore 31%, Malaysia 28% and
Indonesia 14%. The reported world average was
31%. The Philippine Pulp and Paper
Association (PULPAPEL) estimate a recovery
rate of around 15%.
3.12
Philippines
Approximately 2.3 million metric tons of
hazardous waste, especially Used Lead Acid
Batteries, is generated every year. By 2004, 3,015
hazardous waste generators were registered with
the Environmental Management Bureau. Oil,
immobilized waste, containers, and plating waste
make up more than half (55%) of the registered
hazardous waste in the country.
Considering the volume and potential, recycling
of paper and plastics assumes top priority in the
country. However, hazardous materials such as
Used Lead Acid Batteries need to be appropriately
taken care of by virtue of their threats to the
environment and the country.
Informal sector sorting recyclable waste
Image source: www.conexor.com
Chapter 3: Country Analysis
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