AWARENESS AND EXTENT OF IMPLEMENTATION

OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

IN LAOAG CITY

JULES GABRIEL P. BENEMERITO

SOPHIA JOY B. GONZALES
AECEL JOHN D. VITE
CHRIS JAY B. CORPUZ
DENNIS B. BITANGA
MARY GRACE P. RIDONGGA
BUTZ GUY R. SORIANO

Presented to the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS)

Ilocos Norte National High School

Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the subject

Practical Research 2

S.Y. 2022-2023
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

This Chapter introduces the background of the study, statement of the problems,

significance of the study, scope and delimitation, and the definitions of terms on the

Awareness and extent of implementation of solid waste management in Laoag City.

Background of the Study

Solid Waste Management has been a major issue contributing to the pollution and

its extent of awareness and implementation in Laoag City is not that widely known.

Main factors such as population growth, urbanization, and economic development are

the contributors to solid waste. The implementation of effective solid waste

management systems is essential to protect public health and the environment, to

ensure the success of such systems, it is important to have a depth understanding of

the awareness and extent of implementation of solid waste management practices.

In many developing countries, solid waste management is a relatively new

concept in many developing countries. The need for efficient disposal of solid waste

and its effects on the environment are not widely understood by the general people. In

an international status there is this growing concerns regarding about solid waste

management because as the population grows so is the waste the produced by the

people; for example. India, the biggest country in terms of population has one of the

worst solid waste managements and the biggest producer of solid wastes with around

62 million tons of solid wastes are produced each year and this has to do with the big

population factor as well as bad governance. Although most countries are now taking

up responsibilities on the solid wastes produced, it is still a big problem to the society.
 In the Philippines, it is observable that solid waste management is not that well

implemented as the rest of world is. Efforts by the government have been made on

implementing solid waste management programs, while it is successful to an extent;

The Philippines is still dubbed one of the major producers of Solid waste, producing

around 21 million metric tons of garbage every year and around 20% of it ends up in

the ocean. The Philippines, and archipelago consisting of 7,000 islands is considered

the most contributor of ocean plastic pollution, with around 365,731 metric tons of

wastes produced in the Philippines with 4,820 plastic emitting rivers ending in the

ocean contributing around a total of 35% of ocean pollution, much bigger than India

wherein it produces roughly half the size (126,513 metric tons) of what Philippines

produces.

Laoag City in the other hand continues to experience lack of implementation of

solid waste management even though the city is actively involved in solid waste

management. With the primary goal of protecting public health and the environment

under the effective implementation of Republic Act 9003 otherwise known as the

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and City Ordinance No. 97-043

or the Environmental Protection and Management Code of Laoag City, or more

popularly known as the Oplan Dalus Code, the city has implemented a few measures

to ensure that solid waste management. The city has also put in place a number of

green programs, like encouraging recycling and garbage segregation. The city also

has multitude of rubbish collection methods in place, such as waste transfer stations,

door to door pick up, a sanitary land fill, an incinerator, and a composting facility are

among the city’s other waste-treatment facilities.

Statement of the Problem

This study specifically aims for the respondents’ level of awareness and extent of

implementation of solid waste management in Laoag City. Promote waste reduction

and reuse, and increase recycling and composting activities.

Following questions below shall be answered:

1. What is the respondents’ level of awareness on solid waste management?

2. What is the extent of implementation of solid waste management in terms of:

A. Length of Implementation

B. Policies and Ordinance

C. Program Implementation

3. Is there a significant relationship between respondents’ level of awareness and

extent of implementation of solid waste management?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The main objective of this study is to specifically determine the residents’ level of

awareness and extent of implementation of solid waste management in Laoag City, on

how well implemented solid waste management, what programs it may need to

improve the residents of Laoag City their awareness and this study aims to make the

data gathered a basis for the residents by examining the existing management
systems, and practices, identifying the gaps in solid waste management and

suggesting potential solutions.

There are approximately 111,651 total population of Laoag city all of which

contributes to solid wastes produced in the city as well as they are the sole initiators of

solid waste management in the city. The researchers used purposive sampling on

gathering the needed respondents to conduct the study. The study is also open to all

residents of Laoag City as they are the target respondents but only limited to around

100-350 respondents from the whole Laoag City population.

The researcher collected data through asking the respondents on answering a

survey questionnaire containing questions that entirely depends on the respondents’

answers and perspectives.

Significance of the Study

This study would determine the importance and effects to various residents of

Laoag City, particularly on the awareness and extent of Solid waste management to

the residents, how it should be implemented and help maintain the city’s ecology,

cleanliness and wellness.

Sectors below would benefit from the study:

 Local Executives: The Local executives would greatly benefit from the study

as this study will help them plan, develop and to know the extent of solid

waste management awareness and implementation in Laoag City.

 Department of Environment and Natural Resources Officials: DENR

officials would benefit from the study as this will help the ecological mapping
 of the Laoag City community and also provide guidelines, regulations and

suggestions for the solid waste management in the city.

 Baranggay Officials: Baranggay officials would benefit from the study to

know their baranggays’ residents solid waste management awareness and

implementation on their respective baranggays.

 Laoag City Residents: Laoag City residents would greatly benefit from the

study as the study would offer them various knowledge, awareness and

advocate regarding the importance of solid waste management in the city.

 Future Researchers: This research would be of great importance for future

researchers of this study as this study will be a basis of their own work,

collecting all the information for them to incorporate.

Definition of Terms

This section shows the essential terms that have been operationally defined for a

better understanding of our research, below are the definition of terms used in our

research.

 Awareness: Knowledgeable being conscious; cognizant, informed alert.

Awareness is the state or ability to perceive, to feel, or to be conscious of

events, objects, or sensory patterns.

 Implementation: The execution or practice of a plan, a method or any design,

idea, model, specification, standard or policy for doing something.

 Solid wastes: Refers to any type of garbage, trash, refuse or discarded

material.

 Solid waste management: The collecting, treating, and disposing of solid

material that is discarded because it has served its purpose or is no longer

useful.

 Urbanization: The process through which cities grow, and higher and higher

percentages of the population comes to live in the city.

 Population growth: The annual average rate of change of population size, for

a given country, territory, or geographic area, during a specified period.

 Ecology: The study of the relationships between living organisms, including

humans, and their physical environment.

 Environment: A total of all the living and non-living elements and their

effects that influence human life.

 Advocate/Advocacy: Public support for or recommendation of a particular

cause or policy.

 Disposal: The act of getting rid of something, especially by throwing it away.

 India: A country in Asia, particularly in the South Asia region, It has the

biggest human population with around 1.4 Billion as of 2023.

 Incinerator: A type of furnace designed for burning hazardous materials in a

combustion chamber.

 Sanitary Landfills: A method of disposing of solid waste on land in a manner

that protects the environment, by spreading the waste in thin layers,

compacting it to the smallest practical volume and covering it with compacted

soil by the end of each working day or at more frequent intervals if necessary.

 Water treatment facilities: where wastewater (water which is no longer fit

for its current purpose) moves to once it leaves homes and businesses through

sewage pipes.

 Green programs: Projects that has a main goal; To protect the environment.
  Garbage segregation: A process where in you separate garbage to their

respective trash bins (Recyclable, Biohazards, Non-recyclable etc.

 Rubbish: A synonym for “Garbage”.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents ideas and discussion of relevant literatures, studies,

pertinent ideas that can support the study and to also gain knowledge and

understanding of the studies or research’s components, in which it can help solidify a

theoretical framework for the study.

Related Literature

Solid Waste Management in the Philippines

Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling, or

disposal of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human

activity and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, aesthetics, or

amenity. Waste management is also carried out to reduce the materials' effect on the

environment and to recover resources from them. It can also involve solid, liquid, or

gaseous substances, with different methods and fields of expertise for each. (Azuelo,

et.al, 2016).

Solid Waste Management is one of the primary problems the Philippines is facing

right now. People discard their trashes from their homes that do not fit in with its
“flow” of garbage. Thus, some recyclable ends up in the non-recyclable bin heading

to the landfills or worst some of the garbage are dumped anywhere; it could be in the

rivers, seas, and canals that bring pollution to our environment. In any case, the

garbage of every barangay that is not segregated properly can cause trouble when

calamities or disaster come. Being a country that is being hit with at least 20 typhoons

a year, this is an issue that the local government unit must give action immediately

and must assess as to how and what should be done. (Arro, E.M.; n.d.).

Based on data from the National Solid Waste Management Commission

(NSWMC), Metro Manila generated as much as 9,500 tons per day of waste in 2020

and is projected to rise to 10,400 tons per day in 2025. (Reyes, M.A., 2023)

“An act providing for an ecological solid waste management program, creating

the necessary institutional mechanisms and incentives, declaring certain acts

prohibited and providing penalties, appropriating funds therefore, and for other

purposes” (Republic Act 9003, 2001). According to Gequinto (2016), “The

implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this Act (Republic Act 9003)

shall be the primary responsibility of the Local Government Units (LGUs) within

their respective jurisdictions as stipulated in the RA 7160, otherwise known as the

Local Government Code of 1991. The law also mandates that segregation and

collection of solid waste shall be conducted at the barangay level while collection of

non-recyclable materials and special wastes shall be the duty of the municipality or

city.”

Awareness on Solid Waste Management

Solid Waste Management is a multifaceted problem comprising political,

socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental aspects (Debrah, J.K.; Vidal, D.G.;

Dinis, M.A.P. 2021). Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management

Act of 2000) defined solid waste as all discarded household, commercial waste,

nonhazardous institutional and industrial waste, street sweepings, construction debris,

agriculture waste, and other non-hazardous/non-toxic solid waste. It is also evident

that in other places, solid waste production is increasing. (Molina, R. A.., & Catan, I.

2021).

According to World Bank (2019), there will be an increase on waste generation

annually all over the globe by 70% from 2.01 billion tons in 2016 to 3.40 billion tons

by 2050. The increase of solid waste generation causes its management more

challenging. Raising awareness about municipal solid waste management is an

essential component of effective waste management. It is important for key

stakeholders to be aware of a city’s waste management activities and have a strong

understanding of the benefits of proper solid waste management.

Although, many challenges arise when raising awareness about solid waste

management, a variety of communication techniques can be used to address them.

(Wahid, 2015). Technical, political, and environmental factors are all legal,

sociocultural, environmental, economic, and resource constraints. The failure of the

solid waste management program will result from the lack of any of the resources. As

a result, the community's residents won't be happy. In addition to this, widespread

collaboration and active engagement are also required. Therefore, it has become

crucial to inform individuals on how to handle produced solid waste through

information dissemination.

Solid waste management requires community education to build a good program.

Awareness of solid waste management will change people's attitudes regarding trash.

Waste is garbage, and it should not be touched or approached. They used to think all
rubbish should go into one container. (Sarino, 2014). Various programs have also

been implemented tackling on the solid waste management issues in the Philippines,

in this way, the people can be educated and aware regarding on the growing problem

of solid waste production and solid waste management. There are also laws

implemented about the Environmental awareness in the Philippines.

Specifically, the National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of

2008 mandated that the CHED and TESDA incorporate environmental education into

the National Service Training Program under Republic Act No. 9163, as part of

the Civic Welfare Training Service component required for all baccalaureate degree

and vocational programs with a curriculum of at least two-year A continuous

education and information campaign on solid waste management should be conducted

by the national government, in collaboration with the Department of Education

(DepEd), Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA),

Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Philippine Information Agency

(PIA). (Gantang, 2014).

Thus, solid waste management is a must. Solid waste management pertains to the

control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and

disposal of solid wastes in a manner that is in accord with the best principles of public

health, economics, engineering, conservation, aesthetics, and other environmental

considerations, and that is also responsive to public attitudes. However, solid waste

management tend to be ignored (Masood, Barlow, & Wilson, 2009).

Implementation of Solid Waste Management in the Philippines

The Republic Act (RA) 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid

Waste Management Act of 2000, provides the necessary policy framework,

institutional mechanisms and mandate to the local government unites (LGUs) to

achieve 25% waste reduction through establishing an integrated solid waste

management plan based on 3Rs reduce, reuse and recycling. Recognizing the

importance of taking immediate actions to address this fast-growing urban

environmental issue, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)

has prioritized proper management of solid waste in its 12 points environmental

agenda and established the NSWMC under the Office of the President. Further, the

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, otherwise widely known as the

Republic Act No.9003 (RA 9003), has enacted to institutionalize proper SWM at local

government level. (Premakumara, D.G.J.; Canete, A.M.L.; Nagaishi, M., 2013).

The Philippines has endeavored to improve its management of solid waste through the

passage of RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act that provides for

a systematic, comprehensive, and ecological waste management program to ensure

the protection of public health and the environment. It mandates the bureau to provide

secretariat support to the National Solid Waste Management Commission in the

implementation of the solid waste management plans and prescribes policies to

achieve the objectives of the National Ecology Center that oversees information

dissemination, consultation, education, and training of various local government units

on ecological waste management. The ecological solid waste management program is

expected to assist Local Government Units in implementing RA 9003 or the

Ecological Solid Waste Management Act particularly in the development of their 10

yr. SWM Plan, closure and rehabilitation of dumpsites, establishment of Materials

Recovery Facilities, and an environmentally sound disposal system. (DENR,2019).

Osorio V. (2022). Said that “The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) will

continue to monitor and ensure that local government units (LGUs) will properly
rehabilitate the 335 closed dumpsites so that it will not pose a negative impact on

public health and the environment," Osorio said during the 21st anniversary of the

Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

With the theme "Fast-tracking the Total Solid Waste Management Solution for a

Sustainable-Driven Philippines,". Also added by Osorio "This year, our country's total

daily waste generation is around 59,846 tons, and 48 percent or 29,868 tons per day

are disposed of in these SLFs. Based on our computation, the country still requires

around 2,832 hectares of land or a total of 295 SLFs with a minimum lifespan of nine

years to cater to all the residual waste of all our LGUs,". Simplifying the statement

that more needed land is still needed to gather all up the solid wastes in the

Philippines in a much wider comfortable space. However, the law remains poorly

implemented 20 years after its enactment, he lamented, particularly the lack of waste

segregation, materials recovery facilities (MRF) and sanitary landfills.

RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, mandates that

all open dumpsites must be converted into sanitary landfills by 2004, four years after

the law was passed. But 14 years after that deadline, government figures are gloomy.

There are only 139 operational sanitary landfills servicing just 308 of the country’s

1,634 LGUs, and at least 425 illegal dumpsites still operate across the country. RA

9003 also mandates that every village or cluster of villages must set up a materials

recovery facility (MRF) where biodegradable waste is converted into fertilizer,

recyclable material is recycled or sold to junk shops, and residual waste is collected

for transport to sanitary landfills. But as of last year, government data show that only

24 percent of the country’s 42,036 villages had operational MRFs. The failure to meet

those targets and comply with RA 9003 arises from a lack of political will on the part
of local leaders as well as a lack of discipline regarding proper garbage disposal on

the part of the public (Sarmiento, B., 2018).

Implementation of Solid waste management in Laoag City

The city government here again reiterated its desire to implement its solid waste

management program fully and strictly, with a focus in waste segregation. In a bid to

achieve this, Laoag Mayor Michael M. Keon met with all the city’s barangay

chairpersons to tell them to prepare for the closure of the controlled dumpsite at Brgy.

Lagui-Sail and the subsequent opening and operation of the new sanitary landfill at

Brgy. Balatong. During the said meetings, which occurred in two batches, Keon said

that since the city’s rural barangays have plenty of vacant lots, the barangay chiefs

there could create communal compost pits. He also learned from the barangay heads

that waste segregation at the source is not fully implemented; as a result, stray animals

usually scavenge for food from them. To remedy this, he said the City Veterinary

Office should have an animal impounding area to collect stray animals. (Dela cruz,

D., 2020).

Following an ocular inspection of the landfill in Brgy. Balatong, Mayor Michael

Keon urged residents to contribute to the city government's waste management efforts

by segregating their garbage properly. (Adriano, 2022). According to Keon, M.,

(2022). He said that “no waste segregation, no collection” policy will be strictly

enforced as the new landfill can only accommodate residual wastes. I would like to

reiterate my commitment to ensuring the proper implementation of Republic Act 9003

or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and the city’s 10-year solid

waste management plan”. While the government continued to campaign for the strict

observance of proper waste disposal at the community level, it’s sad to say that many
folks were stubborn and hardheaded. They burned plastic and their waste materials in

backyards. Farmers torched their hays and discarded woods in the fields. Others had

polluted our bodies of water. The Environmental and Natural Resources office

(ENRO) and Local Government Unit (LGU) placed signages and waste bins in

strategic locations for proper waste disposal, yet many incorrigibles ignored them for

lack of discipline. (Ilocos Sentinel, 2021).

"Narimat nga Aglawlaw," a province-wide environmental awareness campaign, is

an initiative of Gov. Marcos Manotoc reiterating the importance of Solid Waste

Management and segregation. (PGIN-CMO, 2019).

The Laoag city has also other ways of combatting solid wastes, for example they

have implemented a new strategy of recycling plastics through shredding them to bits

and pieces and mixing it to concrete to form a recycled hollow block. Incineration

where in they burn the plastic but sometimes not advisable for the environment

especially for the atmosphere as this kind of waste disposal can harm the atmosphere,

producing gasses such as carbon and methane. Laoag city also has garbage trucks

roaming the city at a scheduled date (depends on the barangay) collecting solid

wastes.
 Related Studies

Awareness

The global community recognized that Solid Waste Management (SWM) is an

issue that requires serious attention. The aggressive pursuit for economic growth, by

developing countries like the Philippines, has resulted in the manufacture, distribution

and use of products and generation of wastes that contributes to environmental

degradation and global climate change. Available data showed that the Philippines is

the 9th most among the countries at risk from climate change due to rise of sea levels,

intense storm surges and droughts. This is heavily manifested in the frequent and

intense floods the country is experiencing from devastating typhoons which, many

claim, are due to climate change. Along with the country’s economic progress, the

rapid growth in population has also made waste management a major environmental

challenge for the country. The Philippine National Statistics Office (NSO) estimated

the country’s population in 2012 to be around 97 million with an annual growth rate

of 1.87%. According to this figure, the Philippines is the 12th largest country in the

world (Castillo, A. L., Otomoa, S., 2013).

 According to Choi (2016). This huge amount of waste is a problem, and the

question is how to deal with this waste crisis. Waste management is crucial to

reducing the negative impacts of waste on the environment, and its consequences to

human beings. It is the goal of waste management to treat waste in a safe and proper

manner, in order to minimize harm or damage to the environment. Disposal methods

such as landfilling are directly related to human health issues, as well as the

environment. For instance, UNEP (2011: 302) blames landfills for generating

methane as “the largest source of GHG emissions, caused by the anaerobic

degradation of organic material in landfills and unmonitored dumpsites.” Like this,

waste management is deeply connected to consumption, resource utilization,

environmental problems, and human health.

Countries around the world struggle to improve their urban household solid waste

management (UHSWM) practices. Over the next 30 years, population increase, fast

urbanization, and economic growth may raise global waste by 70%, to 3.40 billion

tons of waste generated annually (World Bank, 2019). The most significant growth is

expected to happen in developing countries, including a percentage rise in packaging

waste (Ayeleru et al. 2020). While developed countries like Germany (Magrini et al.,

2020) have achieved good results with different UHSWM initiatives, developing

countries are still not effective with their waste management (WM) policies (Olay-

Romero et al., 2020). Due to its importance, different scholars have been analyzing

and reporting different initiatives to face WM challenges in the developing countries.

For instance, in Mexico, based on the assessment of 66 municipalities, Olay-Romero

et al. (2020) found an incipient implementation of solid WM, emphasizing the need to

increase the collection coverage and to improve the conditions of the disposal sites in

most of the municipalities. In the Czech Republic, Mardoyan and Braun (2015)
defends the practice of carbonatization of the fermentation residue from biogas

stations, as an ecological and promising WM technology. Governments actions and

plans have also been taking place.

Educating students on environmental sustainability remains necessary for a

healthy and stronger environment. A study conducted by Agut et al. (2014). reports

that, to achieve sustainable living, early environmental education is necessary. For a

reason because children at a very young tends to be insensitive yet and unaware with

their surroundings and so education and raising awareness is a must for them at a very

young age. A Study by Tikka, et al. (2010)

A study in the United States showed a significant relationship between age and waste

source separation. More than 62.5% of urban waste separation aiming sustainability is

done by older people (Nixon, H., Saphores., J.D.M., 2008). indicates that education

influences environmental awareness and attitude. Most students in the developing

countries do not have the practical knowledge to enable the practice of correct waste

management in their schools and, at home, to impact their family’s knowledge due to

the lack of teachers’ knowledge. Environmental education in recent years has been

taught in the curriculum levels of education in most of the developing countries, but

the practical knowledge from teachers to students is minimal. As a result, this has

created gaps that lead to lower standards in managing waste for sustainability in most

developing countries.

Raising awareness over solid waste management is an important instrument on

tackling certain issues regarding about solid wastes, because with the knowledge and

awareness of people on their surroundings most importantly that in today’s century it

can help more on so that humanity have seen the rapid increase of disposable wastes

endangering not just our environment but also the future at stake.
Implementation