ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy A. Cimatu reminded local government units (LGUs) to enforce the law on proper solid-waste management during the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2.
Cimatu issued the reminder as millions of Filipinos prepare to troop to cemeteries to pay tribute to their departed loved ones.
In a statement, the chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said LGUs need to step up their implementation of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, as people continue to generate a huge volume of garbage during the annual Undas, “practically turning graveyards into dumps.”
If necessary, Cimatu said LGUs may apply the full force of the law against litterbugs if only to send a strong message that littering would not be tolerated.
“LGUs should not hesitate [to penalize] litterbugs by imposing fines or making them render community service,” he said.
An estimated 30,000 tons of garbage is generated in the country every day, with 8,000 tons produced in Metro Manila alone. The volume shoots up during events and holidays like Undas.
Last year the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority reported that more than 5,000 tons of trash was hauled just from six major public cemeteries and memorial parks in the metropolis.
Cimatu said he hopes this will not be repeated this year and that the public will “avoid generating waste, especially plastic that ends up in landfills where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose.”
RA 9003 provides that the LGUs are primarily responsible for waste segregation and disposal.
During Undas, Cimatu said the LGUs should reduce the amount of trash gathered from graveyards and minimize waste that goes into landfills.