Article 156p. 156

NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS STATUTES and IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the

"Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000."

SECTION

2.

Declaration

of

Policies.

— It is hereby

declared the policy of the State to adopt a systematic,

comprehensive and ecological solid waste management

program which shall:

(a)

Ensure

the

protection

of

public

health

and

environment;

(b)

Utilize

environmentally-sound

methods

that

maximize

the

utilization

of

valuable

resources

and

encourage resource conservation and recovery;

(c) Set guidelines and targets for solid waste avoidance

and volume reduction through source reduction and

waste minimization measures, including composting,

recycling, re-use, recovery, green charcoal process, and

others,

before

collection, treatment and disposal in

appropriate

and

environmentally

sound

solid waste

management facilities in accordance with ecologically

sustainable development principles;

(d) Ensure the proper segregation, collection, transport,

storage, treatment and disposal of solid waste through

the formulation and adoption of the best environmental

practice in ecological waste management excluding

incineration;

(e)

Promote

national

research

and

development

programs for improved solid waste management and

resource

conservation

techniques,

more

effective

institutional arrangement and indigenous and improved

methods of waste reduction, collection, separation and

recovery;

(f) Encourage greater private sector participation in solid

waste management;

(g) Retain primary enforcement and responsibility of

solid waste management with local government units

while

establishing

a

cooperative

effort

among

the

national

government,

other local government units,

non-government organizations, and the private sector;

(h) Encourage cooperation and self-regulation among

waste

generators

through

the

application

of

market-based instruments;

(i)

Institutionalize

public

participation

in

the

development and implementation of national and local

integrated,

comprehensive

and

ecological

waste

management programs; and

(j) Strengthen the integration of ecological solid waste

management and resource conservation and recovery

topics

into

the

academic

curricula

of

formal

and

non-formal

education

in

order

to

promote

environmental

awareness

and

action

among

the

citizenry.

ARTICLE 2 Definitions of Terms

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. — For the purposes of

this Act:

(a) Agricultural waste shall refer to waste generated from

planting or harvesting of crops, trimming or pruning of

plants and wastes or run-off materials from farms or

fields;

(b) Bulky wastes shall refer to waste materials which

cannot be appropriately placed in separate containers

because of either its bulky size, shape or other physical

attributes.

These

include

large

worn-out

or broken

household, commercial, and industrial items such as

furniture, lamps, bookcases, filing cabinets, and other

similar items;

(c) Bureau shall refer to the Environmental Management

Bureau;

(d) Buy-back center shall refer to a recycling center that

purchases or otherwise accepts recyclable materials

from

the public for the purpose of recycling such

materials;

(e) Collection shall refer to the act of removing solid

waste from the source or from a communal storage

point;

(f)

Composting

shall

refer

to

the

controlled

decomposition of organic matter by micro-organisms,

mainly bacteria and fungi, into a humus-like product;

(g) Consumer electronics shall refer to special wastes

that include worn-out, broken, and other discarded

items such as radios, stereos, and TV sets;

(h) Controlled dump shall refer to a disposal site at which

solid

waste

is

deposited

in

accordance

with

the

minimum prescribed standards of site operation;

(i)

Department

shall

refer

to

the

Department

of

Environment and Natural Resources;

(j)

Disposal

shall

refer

to

the

discharge,

deposit,

dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any solid waste

into or in any land;

(k) Disposal site shall refer to a site where solid waste is

finally discharged and deposited;

(l) Ecological solid waste management shall refer to the

systematic administration of activities which provide for

segregation

at

source,

segregated

transportation,

storage, transfer, processing, treatment, and disposal of

solid waste and all other waste management activities

which do not harm the environment;

(m) Environmentally acceptable shall refer to the quality

of

being

re-usable,

biodegradable

or

compostable,

recyclable

and

not

toxic

or

hazardous

to

the

environment;

(n) Generation shall refer to the act or process of

producing solid waste;

(o) Generator shall refer to a person, natural or juridical,

who last uses a material and makes it available for

disposal or recycling;

(p)

Hazardous

waste

shall

refer

to

solid

waste

or

combination

of

solid

waste

which

because

of

its

quantity,

concentration,

or

physical,

chemical

or

infectious characteristics may:

(1) cause, or significantly contribute to an increase in

mortality

or

an

increase

in

serious

irreversible,

or

incapacitating reversible, illness; or

(2) pose a substantial present or potential hazard to

human health or the environment when improperly

treated, stored, transported, or disposed of, or otherwise

managed;

(q) Leachate shall refer to the liquid produced when

waste

undergo

decomposition,

and

when

water

percolate

through

solid

waste

undergoing

decomposition. It is contaminated liquid that contains

dissolved and suspended materials;

© 2018 Compiled by RGL

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