One of the main problems of our country is garbage management. I heard once in an AM radio station (when I was still little) a group of people discussing on how to solve our problem on looking for a location on where we could pile our garbage since other dump sites are getting filled up. A lady from the group suggested to put train tracks going to a volcano and dump our garbage inside the mouth of the volcano. And then I started laughing my ass off. I can't stop thinking how could these experts became experts in the first place? They're so good in making such hilarious suggestion. They think so narrowly. They just think of a short term solution to a forever-like problem. What if the volcano is already filled up with garbage, are we just look for another volcano to fill up? and just imagine, what if the volcano exploded? I just can't imagine what disaster would that do to the nearby village (the magma would not just kill because of its hottness but will also kill with it's odor).If I were the president of our country, I would implement the zero waste management (I heard of it somewhere when I was still in highschool. To whoever first thought of the name, I hope that you don't mind of me using it.). This is an idea that all of our garbage could be recycled or reduced to nearly zero. This might seem impossible but I think that it could be implemented with just a little help from all of us.
Now, how does this work? This idea revolves entirely of the word segregation. This is not just segregating the biodegradable from the non-biodegradable. This includes segregating plastic from paper, from glass, from metal alloys, from rubber, etc... Let's say for example, 30% of our garbage is biodegradable and 70% is non biodegradable, with the biodegradable waste alone, we could process it to turn it into fertilizers for selling cheaply to our farmers. We could also sell it to big companies or even to our neighboring countries. The income that we would acquire can be used in processing our biodegradable waste.
30% down, 70% to go. Let's say that out of 70%, 40% comes from materials that can be processed so it can be used again. For example, metal alloys, clothing, wood, paper, rubber, glass, etc... We could build a warehouse,(factory, processing plant) wherein all the workers would do is organize and segregate the waste for each items. And then each kind of garbage would be brought to each porcessing plants for processing. Example, all the metal alloys will be sent to a metal processing plant wherein metals could be segregated and be melted to bars and could be sold to other companies that would require such raw material. Same with glass, paper, etc... recycled papers could be used in making newspapers and books. Glass may melted and processed to become bottles and containers. Rubber, hmm... I'm not sure, maybe we could recycle it to create rubber sandals, rubber bands, rubber shoes, etc... (or condoms)
70% down, 30% to go. Let's say that 28% is composed of materials that cannot be reused or recycled, like plastics and styros? Well, we could reduce the use of this materials. If I'm the president of the Philippines, I will limit companies from making new plastic containers in their products and instead encourage them in using glass containers or steel containers instead. plastic cups and cups made of styro will be banned and instead will use paper cups instead. styro's used in fast foods and restaurants will be replaced with cardboard containers. Even plastic spoons and forks will be replaced by steel utensils, or chopsticks or hands (kamay na lang ulit ang gamitin natin. mapapasarap pa ang pagkain natin, hehe..)
98% down, 2% to go. I admit that not all wastes could be reused, recycled, or reduced, like factory wastes, chemicals used in hospitals. We should find a way to somehow dispose of these chemicals as to not harm our environment. We should devise a team of experts to research on how this wastes might become of good use. if not at least to dispose them safely. Our land mass area is not expanding, and our garbage won't disappear if we ignore it. Even if our government has initiatives on reducing our garbage, it really relies on all of us to help solve this problem. It's not that hard to segregate our waste.If we can't help the environment, let's at least decrease the harm that we cause on it.
