THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is pushing for longer-term measures to prevent garbage from reaching waterways, saying cleanup operations alone cannot solve the country’s recurring waste problem.
“While sustained cleanup is necessary to keep waterways clear and reduce the immediate risks posed by accumulated garbage, it cannot by itself solve the country’s recurring garbage problem,” Environment Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said on Friday.
The DENR is looking at two complementary measures: the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act and the Philippine Ecosystem and Natural Capital Accounting System (Pencas).
Under the EPR law, large companies are required to establish programs to recover and divert plastic packaging waste, with an 80-percent recovery target by 2028.
“In the past, solid waste management was solely the responsibility of local governments; they held the mandate for it. But now, we have intensified private sector participation,” Cuna said.
Pencas, meanwhile, provides a framework for measuring the economic value of natural resources and the services provided by ecosystems. The DENR said better accounting for these resources would help reflect the true cost of environmental damage and strengthen deterrence against activities that pollute waterways and other ecosystems.
Taken together, the two measures tackle the problem from different directions. The EPR seeks to prevent and recover plastic waste before it reaches waterways, while Pencas aims to ensure that the environmental costs of pollution and ecosystem damage are properly recognized.
These efforts complement the DENR’s ongoing cleanup programs.
The agency currently operates 196 trash traps to collect floating and accumulated waste from waterways, deploying some 1,500 estero rangers and river warriors to monitor and clean rivers and esteros in the National Capital Region.
It is also continuing its Adopt-an-Estero Program, under which 20 private companies, organizations and government agencies have adopted designated waterways for cleanup, rehabilitation and maintenance.
“The continuing presence of garbage in waterways also highlights the need for everyone to do their part in preventing waste from reaching these water bodies,” Cuna said.
