Senator Win Gatchalian on Friday declared that the government’s 3R of “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” as a dismal failure.
Gatchalian made the declaration on reading a report by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that only 30 percent of barangays nationwide, or an estimated 12,614 out of 42,045, are practicing segregation.
“The 3Rs is a failure, yung reuse, reduce, recycle because only 30 percent of the barangays conduct 3Rs, 70 percent ay tinatapon lang sa kung saan-saan,” he said.
As chairman of the Committee on Energy at the Senate, Gatchalian has called out the DENR for its failure to fully implement the Solid Waste Management Act with 331 as illegal dumpsites remain operational in the country. Part of the DENR’s mandate is to close illegal dumpsites.
Gatchalian said that it is now the time for the government to consider the adoption of Waste-to-Energy facilities in the treatment and disposal of solid waste.
Under his Senate Bill No. 363 or the Waste-to-Energy Act, Gatchalian seeks to provide a framework for the entire value chain of WTE facilities, and, in turn, ensure the uninterrupted supply of waste as feedstock.
Gatchalian said the immediate passage of the WTE Act will not only encourage the development of new technologies in the treatment and disposal of solid waste, it also supports the expansion of bioenergy to attain sustainable energy.
Gatchalian has also pressed the DENR, DOE, and the Department of Science and Technology to come up with a study to look at the capacity, potential for energy and environmental concerns for them to have some preliminary idea on how energy can solve the country’s solid waste issues in the country.