Papers by Voltaire Acosta
Local government units (LGUs) are primarily tasked by law to implement solid waste management (SW... more Local government units (LGUs) are primarily tasked by law to implement solid waste management (SWM) in the Philippines. But as in other developing countries, technical and financial constraints and limited political tenure delay SWM enhancement. Nevertheless, the law mandates the creation of multisectoral Regional Ecology Centers (RECs) that serve as platform for public participation, capacity development, knowledge transfer and networking. In partnership with Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), the first RECs were established in Region 6 (Western Visayas) and Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) with development support from the German International Cooperation (GIZ). Upon formulation of mission and vision statements, signing of Memorandum of Commitment and creation of working committees, the RECs pioneered in conducting annual regional SWM summits for sharing of best practices and by strengthening networking and sector development.
As in other developing countries, solid waste management (SWM) remains a crucial environmental is... more As in other developing countries, solid waste management (SWM) remains a crucial environmental issue in the Philippines. In the year 2000, the Philippine Congress released a new waste management legislation, the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003). This law mandates Local Governments to implement suited measures for waste avoidance, materials recovery and recycling in order to reduce waste disposal and to enhance residual waste management through alternative technologies or sanitary landfills. The total municipal waste generation in the country is estimated at more than 25 Mio tons/year, with organic waste components representing the main fraction with around 50% in cities and up to 70% in rural areas. Although RA 9003 mandates a waste diversion rate of at least 25 % to be realized by municipalities in 2006, most of them fail to implement the waste legislation properly mainly due to budget limitations, lack of know-how and conflicting interests that delay priority setting and political decision-making. In this context, the Philippine government entered into a bilateral official development program with the German government provided through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) through its development program Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units (SWM4LGUs) during the time period 2005-2012. As part of this program an in-depth and year-long analysis of main factors that relate to success and failures in municipal SWM was conducted. As main outcome of this development program, the National Solid Waste Management Commission integrated these experiences and developed the new National Solid Waste Management Strategy for the years 2012 to 2016 in order to facilitate implementation of RA 9003.
As in other developing countries, solid waste management (SWM) remains a crucial environmental is... more As in other developing countries, solid waste management (SWM) remains a crucial environmental issue in the Philippines. In the year 2000, the Philippine Congress released a new waste management legislation, the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (Republic Act 9003). This law mandates Local Governments to implement suited measures for waste avoidance, materials recovery and recycling in order to reduce waste disposal and to enhance residual waste management through alternative technologies or sanitary landfills. The total municipal waste generation in the country is estimated at more than 25 Mio tons/year, with organic waste components representing the main fraction with around 50% in cities and up to 70% in rural areas. Although RA 9003 mandates a waste diversion rate of at least 25 % to be realized by municipalities in 2006, most of them fail to implement the waste legislation properly mainly due to budget limitations, lack of know-how and conflicting interests that delay priority setting and political decision-making. In this context, the Philippine government entered into a bilateral official development program with the German government provided through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ) through its development program Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units (SWM4LGUs) during the time period 2005-2012. As part of this program an in-depth and year-long analysis of main factors that relate to success and failures in municipal SWM was conducted. As main outcome of this development program, the National Solid Waste Management Commission integrated these experiences and developed the new National Solid Waste Management Strategy for the years 2012 to 2016 in order to facilitate implementation of RA 9003.
In the Philippines, the existing waste legislation mandates the implementation of Solid Waste Man... more In the Philippines, the existing waste legislation mandates the implementation of Solid Waste Management (SWM) systems by all local government units (LGU). However, many of the LGUs struggle to provide basic SWM services and are far behind the set legal targets. In this context, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported the development of SWM model practises in several LGUs in order to demonstrate how SWM could be enhanced with appropriate technologies and suited innovations. New approaches should be implementable, even with restricted budgets, the most dominant barrier reported by many LGUs. Based on the outcomes of the presented development cooperation it appears, that the tested new model practises are suitable to establish resource recovery rates that are much higher than the legally requested 25% whereas Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and other emissions from waste disposal can be significantly reduced as well.
Procedia Environmental Sciences, 2012
A decade after the passage of Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Philippine Ecological Sol... more A decade after the passage of Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, an in-depth and year-long analysis of its successes and remaining gaps is undertaken. The National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) has gathered experts and practitioners to document the status of compliance to the law by local government units and diagnose the issues and barriers affecting its implementation. With support from Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units (SWM4LGUs) Project being implemented by AHT GROUP AG on behalf of the German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), the NSWMC has developed the National Solid Waste Management Strategy for the years 2012 to 2016. The Strategy consists of ten (10) components, namely: Bridging policy gaps and harmonizing policies, Capacity development, social marketing and advocacy, Sustainable financing, Creating economic opportunities, Knowledge management on technologies and innovation, Organizational development and enhancing inter-agency cooperation, Compliance monitoring, enforcement and recognition, Good governance, Caring for vulnerable groups, and Reducing disaster and climate change risks. Each is defined by key initiatives, which are further elaborated with objectives, indicative actions, justifications, responsible entities, time frame, target groups and resource requirements. This paper describes the processes involved in strategy development, including the review of policies, situational analysis, issue categorization, validation of strategic issue statements, elaboration of strategic components, and prioritization of key initiatives through factor analysis and stakeholder management tools.
In the Philippines, the existing waste legislation mandates the implementation of Solid Waste Man... more In the Philippines, the existing waste legislation mandates the implementation of Solid Waste Management (SWM) systems by all local government units (LGU). However, many of the LGUs struggle to provide basic SWM services and are far behind the set legal targets. In this context, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supported the development of SWM model practises in several LGUs in order to demonstrate how SWM could be enhanced with appropriate technologies and suited innovations. New approaches should be implementable, even with restricted budgets, the most dominant barrier reported by many LGUs. Based on the outcomes of the presented development cooperation it appears, that the tested new model practises are suitable to establish resource recovery rates that are much higher than the legally requested 25% whereas Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and other emissions from waste disposal can be significantly reduced as well.
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Papers by Voltaire Acosta