Environmental groups are set to challenge before the Supreme Court (SC) a 2019 order from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that sets the rules on the establishment and operation of waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities for the treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the country.
An advisory sent by green group EcoWaste Coalition on Wednesday, July 14 bared that the petitioners will include the coalition, Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability, concerned individuals, and communities affected by WTE Incineration projects.
They will troop to the SC in Padre Faura Street, Ermita, Manila at around 10 a.m. Thursday to file the case.
The petitioners are challenging the validity of DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No.2019-21 for, among other things, 1) being improperly issued, 2) violating the law and 1987 Constitution, and 3) violating the right to health and the right to a balanced and healthful ecology.
Signed by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu on November 26, 2019, DAO No.2019-21 spells out the guidelines on "environmentally-sound evaluation, establishment, operation, and decommissioning or closure of WTE technologies for MSW management," at least according to the Cabinet official.
WTE refers to the energy recovered from waste--usually the conversion of non-recyclable waste materials into useable heat, electricity or fuel through a variety of processes.
MSW is defined as the waste produced from activities within local government units (LGUs), which include a combination of residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial trash and street litters.
The EcoWaste Coalition is a national network of public interest groups pursuing sustainable and just solutions to waste, climate change, and chemical issues towards zero waste communities.
Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization lobbying for the protection of watersheds in South Central Mindanao.