Update 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act — Marcos
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. delivers his fifth State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa on July 27, 2026. (Mark Balmores)
Stressing the need to improve waste disposal, President Marcos said the decades-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act will be updated.
"Sa kabila ng mga ginagawa nating ito, kailangan pa rin nating iwasto ang ating pamamaraan sa pagtapon ng basura (Despite all these efforts, we must still improve the way we dispose of our waste)," Marcos said.
"One systemic intervention is to update our 25-year-old Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, aligning it with modern waste management practices, such as waste-to- energy and waste treatment technology," Marcos added.
According to the President, the Oplan Kontra Baha, a major flood-mitigation and cleaning drive to clear stilted waterways, remove trash, and reduce urban flooding, should be complemented with improved waste disposal.
"As we recalibrate our solid waste management systems, we can draw inspiration from the solid waste management practices being championed by the MMDA here in Metro Manila, such as waste recovery, processing, upcycling," Marcos said.
The President cited that the Carmona Sanitary Landfill, which was transformed into a nature park.
"For example, what used to be the Carmona Sanitary Landfill of the 1990s is now the MMDA Nature Park. And more than a multi-purpose green space, it shall soon be the base of its high-level disaster preparedness training and simulation exercises," Marcos said.
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 mandates waste segregation at the source, promotes recycling and composting, and prohibits open dumping.