The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) had spent P532 million on 146 projects, supporting innovative technologies, programs and services that addressed environmental issues, including solid waste management, over the last decade.
Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña pointed this out in an online news conference on July 1, where the department also announced a new research and development (R&D) project on single-use plastics related to the phase-out of non-environmentally acceptable products (NEAP).
The DOST will conduct the R&D initiative on the “End of Life Cycle Analysis of Single-Use Plastics,” which will look into the economic and life cycle assessment of specific single-use plastic and its alternatives.
“This will help [DOST] in crafting responsive policies to manage the environmental implications from the use of such materials,” DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara said during the same briefing.
The NEAP list is one of the key provisions of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
The law mandates the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) to prepare a NEAP list within a year after the law’s effectivity and update the same list every year. The DOST is a member of the NSWMC.
All-hands-on-deck approach
“These [environmental] projects have been implemented in various parts of the country and the technologies [they] generated have been adopted at various levels,” de la Pena said.
He pointed out that the DOST maintains equal consideration of all sectors in implementing projects and believes in a “whole-of-government” approach in addressing environmental concerns.
“We believe in an all-hands-on-deck science-based approach in our phase-out of non-environmentally acceptable products with utmost consideration to environmental protection, sustainable development, economic viability and social acceptability,” he said.
Guevara added that “technologies and services on solid waste management developed by Filipino researchers” are readily available and can be adopted by stakeholders.
“Through the local technologies we generate from research and development, we make change happen in our environment,” she said.
Environmental partnerships, collaborations
Executive Director Enrico C. Paringit of the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development said the DOST supports a “harmonized pursuit in protecting the environment through research, development and innovations.”
The department, he said, has 10 existing partnerships with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which includes being part of the NSWMC and working closely with multi-agency sub-groups on its different programs.
DOST is also involved in technical working groups that address issues ranging from mining to climate change adaptation to the conservation of natural resources.
“Our collaborations span government, industry and the academe as we ensure that our key stakeholders are one with us in pursuing innovative ways to address environmental concerns, particularly NEAP,” he said.
Meanwhile, Director Annabelle V. Briones of DOST-Industrial Technology Development Institute said the agency ensures that economic viability, social acceptance and environmental soundness are looked into by the research projects it conducts on solid waste management.
“For research projects on solid waste management, we shall address not only environmental protection but also economic growth and social well-being of the current and future generations,” she said.