THE Manila City government on Monday revealed the city’s updated 10-year solid waste management plan, a long-term strategy aimed at reducing waste through segregation.
The city’s Department of Environment and Public Services (DEPS) said the plan is centered on reducing overall waste generation and limiting the volume sent to landfills.
“Our goal is to focus on waste reduction through segregation from the source — at our homes and offices,” DEPS Director Kenneth Amurao said in Filipino.
Amurao noted the steady rise in per capita waste generation, with average daily output nearly doubling from 0.6 kilograms to almost 1 kilogram per person.
To mitigate this, he said the city is strengthening waste diversion efforts by expanding composting operations in city-run materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and partnering with private companies to collect recyclables.
“Instead of all the garbage in the landfill, now we have a small-scale composting MRF. At the same time, we have private partnerships as well,” Amurao said.
He added that the plan may be updated every two years and that the city is also considering the use of waste-to-energy technology.
Meanwhile, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno said maintaining cleanliness remains a top priority of the city government.
“At the end of the day, whether the garbage came from us or not, what matters most is that we, as a city government, must do our job. We must fulfill our obligation to our people,” he added.
The mayor also cited the efforts of its Estero Rangers and Manila Bay cleaning teams in collecting floating debris from waterways and coastal areas as part of the city’s daily maintenance.
