Republic Act 9003 - Ecological

Solid Waste Management Act of

2000.
Art II Segregation of Solid
Wastes
Sec. 21 Mandatory Segregation
of Solid Wastes.
LGUs will manage collection
services, type of collection
system, or combination of
systems, that best meet the
needs of the public and private
sectors.
For premises with six or more
residential units, LGUs shall
promulgate regulations requiring
owners or persons in charge of
such premises to:
Provide designated areas and
containers to accumulate
recyclable materials to be
collected by the municipality
or private center.
Notify occupants of the
requirements of this Act and
its regulations.
Sec. 22 Requirements for the
Segregation and Storage of
Solid Waste.
Minimum standards and
requirements for segregation and
storage of solid waste pending
collection:
There shall be separate
containers from all sources.
In case of bulky waste, it will
suffice to collect and place
them in a separate area.
The solid waste containers
should be marked
compostable, non-
recyclable, recyclable, or
special waste, or other
classification determined by
the Commission.
Art III Collection and
Transport of Solid Wastes
Sec. 23 - Requirements for
Collection of Solid Waste.
Minimum standards and
requirements for collection:
Collectors should be
equipped with personal
protective equipment for the
hazards of handling wastes.
Collectors and other
personnel should be trained
to ensure proper handling in
accordance to the guidelines
of this Act.
Collection shall be done in
prevention of damage to
containers and spillage or
scattering of waste within the
vicinity of collection.
Sec. 24 Requirements for the
Transport of Solid Waste.
Use of separate collection
schedules and/or trucks or
haulers shall be required for
specific types of wastes.
Otherwise, vehicles used for
collection and transport of the
same shall have appropriate
compartments for efficient
storage of wastes while in
transit.
Vehicles should consider road
size, condition and capacity
to ensure safe transport of
solid waste.
Waste compartments shall
have covers to ensure
containment while in transit.
For identification: vehicles
should have the name, body
and telephone number of the
contractor/agency collecting
solid waste.
Sec. 25 Guidelines for
Transfer Stations.
Shall be designed in
compliance with
environmental standards and
shall store no waste for more
than 24 hours.
The transfer site shall
consider land use plan,
proximity to collection area
and accessibility of haul
routes to disposal facility. It
should be designed in
consideration of
accommodation of the waste
and the trucks.
Article 4 Recycling
Program
Sec. 26 - Inventory of
Existing Markets for
Recyclable Materials.
The DTI, DENR and DILG and
other concerned agencies and
sectors shall conduct studies
to stimulate the demand for
the production of products
containing post-consumer
and recovered materials.
Sec. 27 - Requirement for
Eco-Labeling
The DTI shall implement a
coding system for packaging
materials to facilitate, recycle
and re-use waste.
Sec. 28 - Reclamation Programs
and Buy-back Centers for
Recyclables and Toxics.
The National Ecology Center
and LGUs shall implement
deposit and reclamation
programs to provide
collective systems or
convenient drop-off
locations.
toxic materials present in the
waste stream should be
separated at source, collected
separately and further
screened and sent to
appropriate hazardous waste
treatment and disposal
plants, consistent with the
provisions of R.A. No. 6969
(Toxic Substances and
Hazardous and Nuclear
Wastes Control Act of 1990)
Sec. 29 - Non-
Environmentally Acceptable
Products
The National Solid Waste
Management Commission
(NSWMC) shall create a list of
prohibited non-
environmentally acceptable
products annually. However,
the alternatives of such
products must not be 10%
more expensive than the
disposable product.
Should not apply to
packaging used at nursing
homes, hospitals or other
medical facilities and those
packaging not
environmentally acceptable
but without available
alternatives determined by
the NSWMC.
Sec. 30 - Prohibition on the
Use of Non-Environmentally
Acceptable Packaging
No person owning, operating
or conducting a commercial
establishment shall sell or
convey at retail any products
in non-environmental
packaging.
The presence of non-
environmental packaging
shall constitute a rebuttable
presumption of intent to sell
or convey the same to
costumers.
Any manufacturer, broker or
warehouse operator engaged
in distribution or
transportation of commercial
products should annually
submit a report to their LGU
containing the list of
products in non-
environmental packaging.
The NSWMC will prescribe the
form of the reports in its
regulations.
Violations of this section is
grounds for revocation,
suspension, denial or non-
renewal of any license for the
establishment where the
violation occurs.
Sec. 31 - Recycling Market
Development.
The NSWMC, DTI and NEC will
establish standards to
develop market recyclable
materials and local market for
recycle goods including:
Measures for economic
incentives, including loans
and grants for establishment
of facilities to manufacture
finished products from post-
consumer materials.
Guarantees by the
government to purchase a
percentage of the outputs of
such facilities.
Maintaining and establishing
a contact with prospective
buyers and making necessary
changes in collection and
process of the materials to
improve their marketability.
LGUs may arrange long-term
contracts to purchase
product outputs of a
proposed facility based on its
jurisdiction in order to
conserve energy and
encourage establishments of
new facilities.
Sec. 32 - Establishment of LGU
Materials Recovery Facility.
Materials Recovery Facilities
shall be allocated in every
barangay or clusters of
barangays. It shall be in an
open space determined by
the Sangguniang Barangay.
The MRF shall receive mixed
waste for final sorting,
segregation, composting and
recycling. The resulting
residue will be transferred
into a long-term storage or
disposal facility or sanitary
landfill.
Sec. 33 - Guidelines for
Establishment of Materials
Recovery Facility
MRFs shall address the ff:
Land layout and
equipment must
accommodate safe and
efficient materials for
movement, processing
and storage.
The building design must
allow efficient external
access to accommodate
internal flow.
Article 5 Composting
Sec. 34 - Inventory of Markets
of Composts
The Department of
Agriculture (DA) will publish
and annually update an
inventory of existing markets
for compost.
Sec. 35 - Guidelines for
Compost Quality
Compost products for
distribution shall conform to
the standards for organic
fertilizers set by the DA, and
to ensure conformity, they
shall assist the producers in
doing so.
Article 6 - Waste Management
Facilities
Sec. 36 - Inventory of Waste
Disposal Facilities
Within 6 mos. from the
effectivity of this Act, the
DENR, DOH, DILG and other
concerned agencies shall
publish an inventory of all
solid waste disposal facilities
and sites in the country.
Sec. 37 - Prohibition Against the
Use of Open Dumps for Solid
Waste.
There shall be no
establishment and operation
of open dumps for solid
waste after the effectivity of
this act.
After three years from the
same, every LGU shall convert
its open dumps into
controlled dumps in
accordance to Sec. 41 and no
controlled dumps shall be
allowed 5 years following the
effectivity of this act.
Sec 38 - Permit for Solid Waste
Management Facility
Construction and Expansion
No person shall operate,
prepare sites and construct
new solid waste management
facilities or expansions of the
same until said person has an
Environment Compliance
Certificate from the DENR
pursuant to P.D. 1586 and
other permits and clearances
from concerned agencies.
Sec. 39 - Guidelines for
Controlled Dumps

The following shall be the
minimum considerations for the
establishments of controlled
dumps:

(a) Regular inert cover.
(b) Surface water and peripheral
site drainage control;
(c) Provision for aerobic and
anaerobic decomposition;
(d) Restriction of waste
deposition to small working
areas;
(e) Fence, including provisions
for litter control;
(f) Basic record-keeping;
(g) Provision of maintained
access road;
(h) Controlled waste picking and
trading;
(i) Post-closure site cover and
vegetation; and
(j) Hydro geological siting.

Sec. 40 - Criteria for Siting a
Sanitary Landfill

The following shall be the
minimum criteria for the siting
of sanitary landfills, the site
must be: (1-7)

Consistent with the overall
land use plan of the LGU;

Accessible from major
roadways or thoroughfares;

Having an adequate quantity
of earth cover material that is
easily handled and
compacted;

Chosen with regard for the
sensitivities of the
community's residents;

Located in an area where the
landfill's operation will not
detrimentally affect
environmentally sensitive
resources such as aquifer,
groundwater reservoir or
watershed area;

Large enough to
accommodate the
community's wastes for a
period of five (5) years during
which people must
internalize the value of
environmentally sound and
sustainable solid waste
disposal;

Able to facilitate developing a
landfill that will satisfy
budgetary constraints,
including site development,
operation for many years,
closure, post-closure care and
possible remediation costs;

Operating plans must include
provisions for coordinating
with recycling and resource
recovery projects; and

Designation of a separate
containment area for
household hazardous wastes.

Sec. 41 - Criteria for
Establishment of Sanitary
Landfill
The following shall be the
minimum criteria for the
establishment of sanitary
landfills:

Liners - a system of clay
layers and/or geosynthethic
membranes used to contain
leachate and reduce or
prevent contaminant flow to
groundwater;

Leachate collection and
treatment system -
installation of pipes at the
low areas of the liner to
collect leachate for storage
and eventual treatment and
discharge;

Gas control and recovery
system - a series of vertical
wells or horizontal trenches
containing permeable
materials and perforated
piping placed in the landfill
to collect gas for treatment or
productive use as an energy
source;

Groundwater monitoring well
system - wells placed at an
appropriate location and
depth for taking water that
are representative of ground
water quality;

Cover - two (2) forms of cover
consisting of soil and
geosynthetic materials to
protect the waste from long-
term contact with the
environment:

a daily cover placed over
the waste at the close of
each day's operations,
and;

a final cover, or cap,
which is the material
placed over the completed
landfill to control
infiltration of water, gas
emission to the
atmosphere, and erosion.

Closure procedure with the
objectives of establishing low
maintenance cover systems
and final cover that
minimizes the infiltration of
precipitation into the waste.
Installation of the final cover
must be completed within six
(6) months of the last receipt
of waste;

Post-closure care procedure -
During this period, the
landfill owner shall be
responsible for providing for
the general upkeep of the
landfill, maintaining all of the
landfill's environmental
protection features, operating
monitoring equipment,
remediating groundwater
should it become
contaminated and controlling
landfill gas migration or
emission.

Sec. 42. Operating Criteria for
Sanitary Landfills

In the operation of a sanitary
land fill, each site operator shall
maintain the following minimum
operating equipment:
(a) Disposal site records of, but
not limited to:

(1) Weights or volumes approved
by the DENR submitted by
request.
(2) Excavations which may affect
the safe and proper operation of
the site or cause damage to
adjoining properties;
(3) Daily log book or file of the
following information: fires,
landslides, earthquake damage,
unusual and sudden settlement,
injury and property damage,
accidents, explosions, receipts or
rejection of unpermitted wastes,
flooding and other unusual
occurrences;

(4) Record of personnel training;
and

(5) Copy of written notification
to the Department, local health
agency, and fire authority of
names, addresses and telephone
numbers of the operator or
responsible party of the site;

(b) Water quality monitoring of
surface and ground waters and
effluent, and gas emissions;

(c) Documentation of approvals,
determinations and other
requirements by the Department;

(d) Signs:

(1) Each point of access from a
public road shall be posted with
an easily visible sigh indicating
the facility name and other
pertinent information as required
by the Department;

(2) If the site is open to the
public, there shall be an easily
visible sign at the primary
entrance of the site indicating
the name of the site operator, the
operator's telephone number,
and hours of operation; an easily
visible sign at an appropriate
point shall indicate the schedule
of changes and the general types
of materials which will either be
accepted or not;

(3) If the site is open to the
public, there shall be an easily
visible road sign and/or traffic
control measures which direct
traffic to the active face and
other areas where wastes or
recyclable materials will be
deposited; and

(4) Additional signs and/or
measures may be required at a
disposal site by the Department
to protect personnel and public
health and safety;

(e) Monitoring of quality of
surface, ground and effluent
waters, and gas emissions;

(f) The site shall be designed to
discourage unauthorized access
by persons and vehicles by using
a perimeter barrier or
topographic constraints. Areas
within the site where open
storage, or pounding of
hazardous materials occurs shall
be separately fenced or
otherwise secured as determined
by the Department. The
Department may also require
that other areas of the site be
fenced to create an appropriate
level of security;

(g) Roads within the permitted
facility boundary shall be
designed to minimize the
generation of dust and the
tracking of material onto
adjacent public roads. Such
roads shall be kept in safe
condition and maintained such
that vehicle access and
unloading can be conducted
during inclement weather;

(h) Sanitary facilities consisting
of adequate number of toilets
and handwashing facilities, shall
be available to personnel at or in
the immediate vicinity of the
site;

(i) Safe and adequate drinking
water supply for the site
personnel shall be available;

(j) The site shall have
communication facilities
available to site personnel to
allow quick response to
emergencies;

(k) Where operations are
conducted during hours of
darkness, the site and/or
equipment shall be equipped
with adequate lighting as
approved by the Department to
ensure safety and to monitor the
effectiveness of operations;

(l) Operating and maintenance
personnel shall wear and use
appropriate safety equipment as
required by the Department;

(m) Personnel assigned to
operate the site shall be
adequately trained in subject
pertinent to the site operation
and maintenance, hazardous
materials recognition and
screening, and heavy equipment
operations, with emphasis on
safety, health, environmental
controls and emergency
procedures. A record of such
training shall be placed in the
operating record;

(n) The site operator shall
provide adequate supervision of
a sufficient number of qualified
personnel to ensure proper
operation of the site in
compliance with all applicable
laws, regulations, permit
conditions and other
requirements. The operator shall
notify the Department and local
health agency in writing of the
names, addresses, and telephone
number of the operator or
responsible party. A copy of the
written notification shall be
placed in the operation record;

(o) Any disposal site open to the
public shall have an attendant
present during public operating
hours or the site shall be
inspected by the operator on a
regularly scheduled basis, as
determined by the Department;

(p) Unloading of solid wastes
shall be confined to a small area
as possible to accommodate the
number of vehicles using the
area without resulting in traffic,
personnel, or public safety
hazards. Waste materials shall
normally be deposited at the toe
of the fill, or as otherwise
approved by the Department;

(q) Solid waste shall be spread
and compacted in layers with
repeated passages of the landfill
equipment to minimize voids
within the cell and maximize
compaction. The loose layer shall
not exceed a depth
approximately two feet before
compaction. Spreading and
compacting shall be
accomplished as rapidly as
practicable, unless otherwise
approved by the Department;

(r) Covered surfaces of the
disposal area shall be graded to
promote lateral runoff of
precipitation and to prevent
pounding. Grades shall be
established of sufficient slopes
to account for future settlement
of the fill surface. Other effective
maintenance methods may be
allowed by the Department; and

(s) Cover material or native
material unsuitable for cover,
stockpiled on the site for use or
removal, shall be placed so as
not to cause problems or
interfere with unloading,
spreading, compacting, access,
safety drainage, or other
operations.

Article 7
Local Government Solid Waste
Management

Sec. 43 - Guidelines for
Identification of Common Solid
Waste Management Problems

To encourage and facilitate
development of local government
plans for SW management, the
Commission shall publish
identification guidelines for
areas having common waste
management problems. Such
guidelines shall be based on the
ff:

the size and location of
included areas
the volume of solid waste
which would be generated;

(c) the available means of
coordinating local government
planning between and among the
LGUs and for the integration of
such with the national plan; and

(d) possible lifespan of the
disposal facilities.

Section 44 - Establishment of
Common Waste Treatment and
Disposal Facilities

Pursuant to Sec. 33 of R.A.7160,
all provinces, cities,
municipalities and barangays, are
mandated to consolidate, or
coordinate their efforts, services,
and resources for purposes of
jointly addressing common solid
waste management problems
and/or establishing common
waste disposal facilities.

Sec. 45 Incentives

Rewards from the created fund
are given to those undertaking
outstanding and innovative
activities involving re-use,
reduce and recycle of solid
waste.

1. a. Consistent with E.O. 226,
these tax incentives shall be
granted within ten (10) years
upon effectivity. LGUs and
enterprises shall enjoy tax and
duty free importation of
machinery and equipment for
collection transportation,
segregation, recycling, re-use and
composing of solid wastes as
long as they are:

- not manufactured domestically
in sufficient quantity, of
comparable quality and at
reasonable prices;

- reasonably needed and will be
used actually, directly and
exclusively for the above
mentioned activities;

- approved by the Board of
Investment (BOI) of the DTI for
the importation of such
machinery, equipment, vehicle
and spare parts.

b. Tax Credit on Domestic
Equipment
c. Tax and Duty Exemption of
Donations, Legacies and Gifts

2. Non-Fiscal Incentives
3. Financial Assistance Program.
4. Extension of Grants to LGUs.
5. Incentives to Host LGUs.








CHAPTER V
FINANCING SOLID WASTE
MANAGEMENT

Sec. 46 - Solid Waste
Management Fund
As a special account in the
National Treasury, a Solid Waste
Management fund will be created
and administered by the
Commission.

Sources:
- Fines and penalties imposed,
proceeds of permits and licenses
issued by the Department under
this Act, donations, endowments,
grants and contributions from
domestic and foreign sources;

- Amounts specifically
appropriated for the Fund under
the annual General
Appropriations Act

Uses:
- products, facilities,
technologies and processes to
enhance proper solid waste
management;
- awards and incentives;
- research programs;
- information, education,
communication and monitoring
activities;
- technical assistance; and
- capability building activities.





CHAPTER VI
PENAL PROVISIONS

1. Littering, throwing, dumping
of waste matters in public places,
such as roads, sidewalks, canals,
esteros or parks, and
establishment, or causing or
permitting the same (300-
1000Php/1-15 days of
community service to an LGU or
both.)

2. Undertaking activities or
operating, collecting or
transporting equipment in
violation of sanitation operation
and other requirements or
permits set forth in established
pursuant; (300-1000Php/1-15
days imprisonment or both.)

3.The open burning of solid
waste; (same as number 2)

4. Causing or permitting the
collection of non-segregated or
unsorted wastes; (1000-
3000Php/15 days-6 months
imprisonment or both.)

5. Squatting in open dumps and
landfills; (same)

6. Open dumping, burying of
biodegradable or non-
biodegradable materials in flood
prone areas; (same)

7. Unauthorized removal of
recyclable material intended for
collection by authorized persons
(same)

8. The mixing of source-
separated recyclable material
with other solid waste in any
vehicle, box, container or
receptacle used in solid waste
collection or disposal;
(500,000 + 5%-10% of its annual
net income in the previous year.

9. Establishment or operation of
open dumps as enjoined in this
Act, or closure of said dumps in
violation of Sec. 37; (same + 1-3
years imprisonment.)

10. The manufacture,
distribution or use of non-
environmentally acceptable
packaging materials;
(same + 1-3 years imprisonment)

11. Importation of consumer
products packaged in non-
environmentally acceptable
materials;
(same as number 8)

12. Importation of toxic wastes
misrepresented as "recyclable" or
"with recyclable content" (10,000-
200,000Php + 30 days - 3 years
imprisonment or both)

13. Transport and dump in bulk
of collected domestic, industrial,
commercial, and institutional
wastes in areas other than
centers or facilities prescribe
under this Act. (same)

14. Site preparation,
construction, expansion or
operation of waste management
facilities without an
Environmental Compliance
Certificate required pursuant to
Presidential Decree No. 1586 and
this Act and not conforming with
the land use plan of the LGU;
(100,000-1,000,000Php/1-6 years
imprisonment or both.)

15. The construction of any
establishment within two
hundred (200) meters from open
dumps or controlled dumps, or
sanitary landfill. (same)

16. The construction or
operation of landfills or any
waste disposal facility on any
aquifer, groundwater reservoir,
or watershed area and or any
portions thereof. (same)