To ensure solid waste management compliance of local government units (LGUs), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) has recently upgraded its online system by adding a feature that will record the amount of waste collected, hauled, and transported to solid waste management or treatment facilities.

The new feature in the Integrated Information System (IIS), according to DENR-EMB Director William P. Cuñado, seeks to continuously educate LGUs on environmental management and monitor their compliance in the observance of minimum standards and requirements for the collection of solid waste.

“LGUs are partners of the national government in enforcing environmental laws and regulations. We need to work closely with them to achieve significant and meaningful results in environmental protection and management,” he said.

Under Section 24 of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, Environmental Monitoring Officers (EnMOs) are tasked to monitor the recommendations given by the EMB to LGUs, such as providing trucks for the collection of recyclables like glass, metals, plastics and waste paper to be transported to the materials recovery facilities, recycling facilities, or contracted junk shops; collection of compostable or biodegradable wastes to be transported to composting facilities; and collection of household infectious wastes or COVID-19 related wastes.

As such, EnMOs are tasked with ensuring that unsegregated or mixed solid waste at the source will not be collected.

Local governments, on the other hand, will have to submit their daily and monthly reports through the EMB IIS.

The DENR said EnMOs will consolidate the LGUs’ monthly report for the updating of solid waste management regional data on the quantity of waste collected, hauled, and transported to the waste facilities.

According to Cuñado, some residents practice waste segregation at the source in their homes, but the segregated wastes are mixed by the waste collection crew in the dump trucks in violation of Section 24 of RA 9003.

Thus, the DENR-EMB director said the efforts of the residents and establishments in practicing proper waste segregation at the source are in vain.

“Through the monthly consolidation of manifest form per LGU submitted to IIS, we can respond immediately and monitor the commitments of the LGUs with the primary emphasis on their biodegradables, recyclables, residuals, household hazardous wastes, and especially the management of the COVID-19 related wastes,” he said.