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Villar: Fast-tracking Distribution of Solid Waste Management Equipment Will Help LGUs Achieve Zero Waste Goals
Amendment of RA 9003 (Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and law on single-use plastics among the legislative priorities for 2021
Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said that while long-delayed, the turnover of solid waste management (SWM) equipment to local government units (LGUs) will really help in attaining zero waste targets of cities and municipalities. The distribution of the equipment is long overdue because the budget for it has been made available since 2017 but is only last month when the turnover started. It needs to be fast-tracked because the country s waste problems even worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic, when healthcare-related wastes such as face masks added to the pile of garbage we have to deal with, cited Villar.
Published January 13, 2021, 6:06 PM
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has lined up activities this January to celebrate Zero Waste Month and the 20th anniversary of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“Solid waste management ranks among the priority programs of the DENR especially in the context of our cleanup efforts in Manila Bay,” Secretary Roy Cimatu said.
“Proper disposal of solid waste will avoid the clogging of tributaries and prevent trash from being washed into the rivers and seas that affect aquatic ecosystems, livelihood and health,” the DENR chief pointed out.
Published January 2, 2021, 6:30 PM
New Year celebrations in Metro Manila resulted in lesser pollution in 2021 as compared to the festivities last year, data from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Saturday showed.
The DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) reported that pollution levels in the early hours of January 1, 2021 were lower by 59 percent than the levels recorded during the same period in 2020.
DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said the improvement in Metro Manila’s air quality could be attributed to the compliance of local government units (LGUs) and the public to Executive Order 28, which limited the use of firecrackers to community fireworks display that has been in effect since 2017.
Published December 31, 2020, 7:43 AM
Many plans set out for 2020 were delayed, if not put to end, by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) was not spared as the global health crisis had momentarily “disrupted” the agency’s momentum in implementing big-ticket projects, which included the Manila Bay rehabilitation.
“The DENR has been tested a lot this year. Under normal circumstances we do not mind being put to the test. We want to see and to confirm that we can measure up to challenges if not exceed them,” according to DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu.
He cited how the Department was praised highly for the rehabilitation of Boracay Island’s damaged environment in the past two years.