Solid Waste Management.

 Human activities create waste, and it is the way these wastes are handled, stored, collected and disposed of, which can pose risks to the environment and to public health. Where intense human activities concentrate, such as in urban centres, appropriate and safe solid waste management (SWM) are of utmost importance to allow healthy living conditions for the population. This fact has been acknowledged by most governments, however many municipalities are struggling to provide even the most basic services. As Ms. Endonila said, there are the 7 principles of Nature. It is said that everything must go somewhere so typically one to two thirds of the solid waste generated is not collected. It usually put in the garbage dump. Throughout the cities it is the urban poor that suffer most from the life-threatening conditions deriving from deficient SWM, as municipal authorities tend to allocate their limited financial resources to the richer areas of higher tax yields where citizens with more political power reside. Usually, wealthy residents use part of their income to avoid direct exposure to the environmental problems close to home, and the problems are shifted away from their neighbourhood to elsewhere. Thus, although environmental problems at the household or neighbourhood level may recede in higher income areas, citywide and regional environmental degradation, due to a deficient SWM, remains or increases.

I could say that although most of what I’ve attended was presented in a boring manner, I nonetheless picked up bits and pieces of knowledge that helped improve my listening skills. During the presentation of Ma’am Endonila last Wednesday, I absorbed what she shared. I never thought that I could concentrate and sit in one place for such a long time because I expected that this orientation would be boring as well. Therefore, my point of view changed. She was very professional, especially in terms of her delivery.

 

The presentation aims to develop the effectiveness of mechanisms for SWM (solid waste management). To implement model environment promotion programs, such as school environmental promotion program, eco-village program, environmental awareness raising activities, and model environmental conservation projects at community level. To introduce Integrated Solid Waste Management System (ISWM) focused on waste minimization at source level with waste segregation, collection and organic wastes management through practices of various composting systems. Solid waste management becomes necessary and relevant when the structure of the society changes from agricultural with low-density and widespread population to urban, high-density population. Furthermore, industrialization has introduced a large number of products which nature cannot, or can only very slowly, decompose or digest. Hence, certain industrial products contain substances which, due to low degradability or even toxic characteristics, may build up in nature to levels representing a threat to humanity’s future use of the natural resources - that is, drinking water, agricultural soil, air and so on. These are the things that I learned in the auditorium last Wednesday.

As an NSTP student, I’ll use the 4R’s that is said in the presentation, I’ll Reduce, Re-use, Recycled and Re-buy. I will also remember what ma’am Endonilo said that we should Buy Less, and Consume Less. So that, the garbage won’t accumulate and the place will be used as a home for other people who’s less-fortunate or a school for children to learn because like what Jose Rizal said, the youth is the hope of our nation. We have to take care of our Earth for the future use of our children and our children’s children. I will share to my friends and influence them from the facts that I leaned in this NSTP activity.