Solid Waste Management (SWM) in Puerto Galera

Puerto Galera progressed exceptionally in SWM. With the enthusiastic and cooperative response of the town's LGU officials, tourist industry operators, and ordinary citizens, it achieved drastic waste reduction at an average of 47.79% in the participating barangays and 90.18% in the participating resorts. SCOTIA's technical assistance brought the LGU a long way in the milestones it achieved for the town, foremost of which were a 10-year ESWM Plan, a reactivated SWM Board, a substantial allocation for its SWM budget, a rehabilitation plan for the municipal disposal site, and ongoing planning for MRF (materials recovery facility) operations in every barangay.

The LGU's Task Force KKK is at the forefront of these activities. SCOTIA conducted capacity-building training and study tours for its members as well as composting demonstrations in the different barangays. SCOTIA's grant for SWAPP (see Highlights) provided advanced training in composting, expertise the Task Force is now using as the project continues to flourish.

Many of the barangays in Puerto Galera devised their individual SWM projects with SCOTIA's technical assistance. In Barangay San Isidro, SCOTIA facilitated the partnership between the association of resort owners SIBROA and the barangay council to unify efforts in SWM which would then benefit the community as a whole. As an initial collaboration, its composting project will involve both resorts and households.

A parallel partnership is forthcoming in Barangay Sabang with both the barangay council and the resort group CCBOA recognizing the need for more long-term strategies in SWM. CCBOA will apply for a SCOTIA grant to establish an MRF project and to possibly expand Sabang's composting site to adjacent Barangay Sinandigan.

Most of the tourist resorts in Puerto Galera welcomed SCOTIA's CP workshops and adapted its recommendations. Others are following suit, giving the town more reason to celebrate its almost 100% improvement in waste reduction.

Barangays Balatero and Sabang in Puerto Galera

Efficient waste management begins at source - This important rule began the SWM success in Barangay Balatero in Puerto Galera. Balatero's major and perennial headache was the municipal dumpsite located in its premises. In exasperation, the Barangay Council considered closing the dumpsite but, with SCOTIA's guidance and technical assistance, they passed instead an ordinance making waste segregation a prerequisite for waste disposal in the dumpsite. The rule disallowed entry into Balatero itself of any dump truck carrying unsegregated waste. Balatero's strict adherence to its rule forced all barangays of Puerto Galera to implement waste segregation at source by enforcing a no segregation-no collection rule in their own areas. This development enabled Balatero to improve conditions in the dumpsite such as using heavy-duty equipment for crushing waste and working on SCOTIA recommendations like fencing of the facility and increasing soil volume for covering the residuals.

The downstream effect of the ordinance reached Barangay Sabang and turned Galera's largest producer of solid waste into-like Balatero-an SWM success. Like all new habits, non-compliance was frequent but only in the beginning, collecting for the barangay as much as P12,000 in fines. Most Sabang dwellers and visitors are now aware of and practice the no segregation-no collection discipline, as evidenced by substantial waste reduction in its WACS which SCOTIA conducted in the site (see table below). Vital to the scheme's success was the constant and zealous monitoring by barangay officials, especially Councilors Pat Lopez and Tony Arago.

El Nido, Palawan

The municipality of El Nido has established a reputable name in the province of Palawan with its extremely successful SWM programs. Starting with its LGU's 10-year ESWM Plan and improvements in its waste disposal site, the town continued to progress with more efficient management strategies and more stakeholders involved. It has become a municipality-wide concern and effort and a number of organizations formed for these activities have attracted the participation of citizens from all sectors.

SCOTIA's WACS sessions and CP workshops and assessment produced very encouraging results both on the barangay level and in the resorts (as in table below). The SCOTIA CP specialist is frequently called upon by Susan Lualhati, president of the CRRAEN which is the tourist resorts association, to accommodate more establishments as the number of CP advocates continues to grow. The participants attribute this positive trend to the LGU's no segregation-no collection policy. They also consider the financial benefits of selling recyclables and composting as a motivating factor.

Comparison between 1st and 2nd WACS of Masagana resorts

With SCOTIA's technical assistance, El Nido launched other beneficial SWM activities. Construction of a reed bed wastewater treatment system has started, collecting leachate from the residual and biodegradable cells in the disposal site and directing this towards the reed bed for treatment. The Villa Libertad Farmers' Association was formed to become the LGU's composting arm. Composting and an MRF will be located inside the controlled disposal facility compound in this barangay. SCOTIA will train the farmers on leadership and organizational management and assist them with the formulation of internal policies and by-laws. SCOTIA also assisted the El Nido stakeholders in the creation or adaptation of Information Education and Communication (IEC) materials and guidelines for segregation, composting, and other SWM technologies.

El Nido began consultations with SCOTIA on two major projects that will ensure even more efficiency for its environmental management agenda - a wastewater treatment facility for its new public market and a solution to the serious sanitation problem of Barangay Bucana. SCOTIA also recommended to the LGU a comprehensive sanitation system to arrest the deterioration of water quality in Buenasuerte Creek which empties into Bacuit Bay, the most important tourist attraction of El Nido. The town's past successes showed that its people faced their challenges and will continue to do so.