SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT WITH GIZ/GTZ

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT WITH GIZ/GTZ


Maasin City is a beneficiary of the Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units (SWM4LGUs) Program by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), formerly German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).  The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ, as it is now called, is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal Government,
 operating in many fields across more than 130 countries and mainly works for public-sector organizations.

On January 1, 2011 the GIZ was established through a merger of the three German organizations, the German Development Service (Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst, DED), the German Technical Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, GTZ), and Capacity Building International (Internationale Weiterbildung und Entwicklung, InWEnt).

For more than thirty years, GTZ has been implementing projects to promote economic, ecological and social development in the Philippines, in behalf of the German Government.  It has identified the following priority areas for development cooperation with the concurrence of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) of the Philippines:  environment, sustainable economic development, conflict transformation and crisis prevention, and decentralization.  It focuses on the Visayas Archipelago and the region of Caraga on the island of Mindanao.

GIZ was working with the AHT Group, a privately owned independent consulting firm offering management and engineering services in water, agriculture, environment, governance and waste.  The scope of their services covers management and organizational aspects, institutional development and training, and the entire project cycle from preliminary site investigations and feasibility studies to detailed design, project implementation and evaluation.  Their clients include national and local government institutions, private sector companies and all the major international development organizations, e.g. KfW, GIZ, European Commission, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, MCC and others.

In March 2006, a Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) was conducted in the different urban barangays of Maasin City. Based on the study, the city’s municipal solid
 waste (MSW) was distributed from following sources:  low-income residential areas (43%), mixed residential and commercial areas (37%), commercial districts (15%), and other sources (5%). The average waste generation rate is 0.40 kg. per capita per day and as of 2008, estimated waste generation is 25 tonnes per day.

With assistance from GIZ-AHT, we were able to formulate a 10-Year SWM Plan on January 2007, which was submitted to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) - Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) / National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) for approval. In June 2007, a centralized waste recovery and composting facility was established at the Southern Leyte Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SLEMCoop) Village at Barangay Ibarra. Another demonstration facility was set up at Barangay San Rafael.


The city government was also able to prepare the Closure and Rehabilitation Plan for its existing
 6,000-square meter dumpsite at Barangay Combado and last October 2008 were granted an Authority-to-Close (ATC) No. 2008-04 by EMB-8.  In June 2009, the city government has officially submitted its Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) Document to EMB-8 and was granted Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) No. R08-0906-061-9240 for its proposed 9.7-hectare Eco-Park, which includes a 6.1-hectare sanitary landfill facility (SLF).

Presently, Maasin City is in the process of constructing its Eco-Park. The city government is also updating its SWM ordinance with cost-recovery mechanism.  Its existing materials recovery facility (MRF) with composting is currently being operated to service selected urban barangays of the city although its operational capacity was lower than before. At present, the collection system is still for mixed waste with biodegradables and recyclables are recovered from secondary segregation. With plans already set to collect biodegradables and recyclables separately from the households, community IEC activities are now being conducted.

Pursuant to the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) RO8-0906-061-9240 approved and issued by EMB-8 for the proposed SLF within the Maasin City Ecological Park (Eco-Park) located at Barangay Libhu/Bactul-1, the city government started SLF construction.

The experience of Maasin City in identifying candidates and screening the sites for its proposed SLF showed how the process should be carefully undertaken especially when there is a high probability that many locations are not suitable for a disposal facility.  Specifically, ‘Rule XIV,
 section 1 of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9003 (DAO 2001-34) provides for the minimum considerations in siting SLFs such as accessibility to main roads, availability of clayey base liner system, and locating it in areas where the
 landfill’s operation will not detrimentally affect environmentally sensitive resources.

Maasin City’s main tourist attractions are its many unique caves. Caves and sink holes, locally known as bito, proliferate the hills and mountains of the city. If one is to listen closely into a sink hole, he/she can hear the sound of waves from the nearby sea. However, according to geologists, such formations indicate that these are limestone or karst areas, which are likely to have subterranean channels as rainwater easily seeps through it due to very high permeability. This makes such areas part of an exclusion criteria in SLF siting.  Even before the passage of RA 9003, the city government has been searching for a suitable disposal site. There was even a point when some lots were offered at no cost to the LGU just to solve the problem yet these were either located in a gully, very near the main road, in a nipa swamp or close to sink holes.

From 1992 to 2006, seventeen (17) sites had been proposed and investigated by the authorities. Finally, on February 2007, the GIZ-AHT SWM4LGUs Project conducted an SLF site identification and screening training for its LGU, EMB and MGB partners in the Visayas. Through the exercise, the LGU was capacitated on how to investigate and objectively rank the candidate sites based on national and international standards. The choice was left for the LGU to decide given the results of the screening matrix. But it was the process itself that could serve as a best practice model for other LGUs to benchmark on, with or without the same predicament/limitations as Maasin’s.

The first step in the SLF site identification process was the planning stage. Members of the technical working group (TWG) were assigned. The city’s general land use and other maps were also consulted for any valuable information about the areas to avoid such as those that were earthquake prone, protected and forested, located in floodplains, etc.  Logically, the search for candidate sites was the next step. But since the LGU has already had various areas in mind that just needed validation, a pre-evaluation screening matrix was then prepared based on national criteria (DENR Administrative Orders 98-50 and 2001-34/RA 9003) as well as international standards. The criteria included the following:

Location: (sitio/barangay), Land availability (for later purchase),  Distance from the city proper, Distance form road networks (accessibility),  Existing and proposed land use,  Topography and slope,  Soil condition (clayey, silty, etc.),  Proximity to airports,  Seismic risks,  Geological conditions (presence of sink holes, etc.),  Ecological conditions (sensitive, endangered, etc.),  Groundwater resources (depth of aquifer),  Occurrence of flooding,  Proximity to perennial surface waters (rivers, lakes).

Using the selection matrix, the team was divided and dispatched to do actual preliminary site investigation and ranking.  The results of this evaluation process were then deliberated and recommendations were made for later scrutiny by the LGU.

Although by technical standards it is only second to the best one, LGU-Maasin selected the site situated between Barangays Bactul I and Libhu. The choice was made by the LGU considering such other aspects as socioeconomic, political and/or financial issues. The LGU then proceeded to have the site pre-investigated by Mines and Geosciences Bureau Region 8 in May 2007. With a recommendation to proceed to a detailed hydro-geological assessment, a study was made in June-July 2007, which cleared the site of any geotechnical impediments. The succeeding month, soil permeability and pedo-hydrological tests were conducted by Visayas State University of Baybay City, which revealed good permeability value of 6x10-7 cm/sec. (Per DAO 2006-10, the minimum requirement for Category 2 SLF is 10-6 cm/sec.)

The process itself of conducting an objective yet simple evaluation process is the proper way to undertake SLF site selection. Decision-making processes are really at the hands of the LGU but if they are capacitated on how to do it properly, such decisions would at least have a sound basis. It was also learned that although a site as technically suitable, other non-technical issues needed to be addressed as well. In the end, the choice of the final site is aimed at ensuring that the project minimizes any possible negative impacts to humans and environment.

From 2007-2008, SLF conceptual plans were prepared.  The LGU had already purchased the lot, consulted with the five (5) families living near the site, oriented the community leaders about the project, and has established baseline information on water quality.

 Furthermore, as required by DAO 2001-34/RA 9003, the LGU had to formulate a bird control program. They then requested DENR-PAWS and CENRO to conduct a bird and bird population survey around the area. Last June 2009, the city was granted an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), which incorporated various environmental safeguards as conditionality prior to landfill construction and operation.

I was a beneficiary of a study tour to Germany together with other city mayors and officials.  The cities invited were also beneficiaries of the SWM4LGUs Project of the GTZ.  The travel expenses including plane tickets, hotel meals, and allowances were shouldered by GTZ.  Chona went with me to meet her sister Marivic who married a German named Klaus Schöneweiss.  We shouldered personally all her expenses.

On September 22, 2009, we left for Frankfurt, Germany via Abu Dhabi on board Etihad Airways flight.  Our companions include Mayor
 Jerry Treñas of Iloilo, Mayor Eric Codilla of Ormoc, Mayor German Saraña of Bayawan, DENR Assistant Secretary Gerry Calderon now Mayor of Angono, Rizal, League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) Executive Director Hilda Corpuz, League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) President Mayor Ramon Guico of Binalonan, Pangasinan, , and LMP Executive Director Li-An de Leon.  Our Team Leader was Dr. Johannes Paul of the GTZ-AHT Project Office, Iloilo City.

Earlier on September 12, our respective SWM Landfill Managers travelled ahead to Germany.  They were Atty. Feorillo Demeterio, Jr. (Maasin), Ms. Myraflor Fumar (Ormoc), Engr. Arthur
 Batomalaque (San Carlos), Engr. Melijon Buquiran (Bais), Engr. Neil Ravena (Iloilo), and Engr. Antonio Aguilar (Bayawan).

From Frankfurt we boarded Lufthansa flight to Hannover on September 23.  We were met by Udo Lange, AHT Project Manager. We checked in at Maris Hotel at Steinhude, once a quite fishing village, now a resort and recreation center.  On September 24 our study tour began.  Engr. Bernd Buescher and Engr. Burkart Schulte welcomed the group at the trend-setting Waste Management Center (WMC) Pohlsche Heide in Hille.  The plant is designed to handle 100,000 tonnes per year, of which 37,500 tonnes per year are anaerobically digested. The plant treats both industrial waste and residual municipal solid waste (MSW), as well as dewatered sludge coming from wastewater treatment plants in the area surrounding the plant.

We met our respective landfill managers at Pohlsche Heide where they underwent vigorous training on solid waste management.  It was a grand reunion for us mayors and our solid waste managers at Germany.  We checked in at Hotel Exquisit at Minden where our landfill managers were housed 10 days ahead of us.

On September 25 we visited a Mechanical-Biological Waste Treatment Plant, a Composting
 Plant, a Sanitary Landfill with gas recovery, leachate treatment and monitoring facilities, an Anaerobic Digester Plant and a Collection Center for special waste.  The WMC serves an area consisting of several municipalities with more than 500,000 residents.  These site visits provided familiarity on waste collection and segregation bins at household level and segregation systems within city sub-divisions as well as a large scale sorting plant for the processing of segregated wastes in Minden, Northrhine-Westphalia.  We met Landrat Dr. Nehm, the Administrator of Minden-Lübbecke District, at the District Hall.  We also met State Prime Minister Jürgen Rüttgers of Northrhine-Westphalia in a campaign for the parliamentary elections.

The study tour features main components and technologies applied for modern waste management in Germany such as integrated SWM planning, waste collection and segregation, material recovery, mechanical-biological waste treatment, biogas generation, waste incineration, biological-mechanical waste treatment and landfilling.

On September 26 we visited Tönsmeier Plastic Sorting Plant. Tönsmeier offered its customers a complete range of modern waste disposal services.  They are a reliable partner for municipalities, for industry, business and retailers, and also for individual customers.  We went to Porta Westfalica and climbed the top of the hill to the Monument of Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm I.  It is overlooking the scenic view of the city.

On September 27 was the City Tour.  We visited the old Minden Cathedral, old medieval streets, Minden Museum and Plaza and the commercial center.  It was Election Day in Germany yet it was just an ordinary day for them.  We went to a polling place and observed the voting.  It was very tranquil and only few people went to vote.  Just one hour after the closing of the precincts it was announced that Chancellor Angela Merkel was already reelected because her Christian Democratic Union won majority of the seats of the German Parliament.

On September 28 we visited NAUE Landfill Engineering Geosynthetics.  NAUE & Co. was established over 40 years ago with the object of serving the civil engineering industry with tailor-made products for the various types of applications such as filtration, drainage, protection, separation, reinforcement, sealing and erosion control.  We also went to the Ministry of Environment in Northern Australia office at Essen. Then we checked in at Hotel Lahnschleife at Weilburg, Lahn.  We had a farewell dinner for the SWM Study Group from the GTZ and AHT Group.

On September 29 we travelled to the GTZ headquarters at Eschborn.  It has about 17,000 employees working in more than 130
 countries, including about 1,700 at its head office.  The delegation met various experts of GTZ and KfW involved into the project who present status, experiences and opportunities of SWM4LGUs from their perspective.  KfW banking group is a German government-owned development bank, based in Frankfurt. Its name originally comes from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, meaning Reconstruction Credit Institute.

During the meeting the tour impressions of the delegates and concerns of municipal SWM were taken up.  The participants announced that the tour greatly contributed for them to expand understanding in modern SWM technologies, enhanced intercultural understanding and revitalized enthusiasm for the joint development project.  Features including bulky waste collection, recycling markets, cost recovery mechanism, private public partnership in SWM,
 enforcement strategies, public information and climate related aspects of SWM and CDM were also discussed.

Then we rode a train to Frankfurt Airport.  The
 other members of the group boarded a flight back to Manila.  I rode a train from the airport to Durtmond then met Chona where we proceeded to Dateln, the home city of her sister Marivic.