The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) lauded the government’s efforts to improve the country’s solid waste management as it urged the public to do their responsibility in their households.
In a statement, the CHR said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has assured the monitoring of proper waste disposal by local government units (LGUs) to lessen pollution.
It cited the DENR’s move for additional sanitary landfills (SLFs) to deal with all the residual wastes of LGUs, since the country only has 245 SLFs that serve 478 LGUs.
Also, the commission noted that the DENR is already in the process of hiring additional geologists and civil and sanitary engineers to assist LGUs in finding suitable areas for SLFs.
"It is commendable that efforts are being done to improve waste disposal, which is crucial in protecting the people's health and overall well-being and in ensuring food and water safety,” the CHR said through Spokesman Jacqueline Ann de Guia, a lawyer.
“Proper waste management is essential in upholding the right to health and a clean, healthy environment," De Guia said.
She pointed out that the DENR's moves are in line with the state’s responsibility to ensure improved waste management and reduction, as outlined in the Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
“These efforts are timely given the amount of medical waste that has increased since the start of the pandemic. With the constant use of face masks, shields, and other protective gear, the CHR is concerned that these wastes will become a bigger burden to the environment,” she said.
"The improper management of healthcare wastes can contribute to the transmission of the COVID-19 virus," she noted.
Thus, she said, “stricter monitoring at the LGU level can help ensure proper management practices to alleviate landfill issues and to prevent further spread of virus."
"As we continue to fight the pandemic, let us endeavor to minimize the long-term risks to human and environmental health to achieve genuine recovery," she added.