![]() | CITY: Donsol COUNTRY: Philippines POPULATION: 49,711 JOINED: November 2019 MAYOR: Josephine Alcantara-Cruz OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://www.sorsogon.gov.ph/ CONNECT: Facebook |
For more than a decade, Sorsogon’s main tourist attraction and chief economic driver has been the whale shark interaction. Tourists from around the world who seek the thrill of swimming and interacting with these gentle giants of the sea, locally known as “Butanding” the biggest fish in the world, which can grow to 18 meters long, they can weigh up to 40 tons and can live up to 100 years abounds off the shores of the laid-back town of Donsol to feed on plankton, krill and juvenile fish. Times Magazine dubbed it as the “Best Animal Interaction in Asia”.
Firefly Watching, is an enchanting experience wherein, one could witness the numerous male fireflies flashing lights to attract female. Local fishermen will quietly paddle you along Donsol river or Ugod River to be mesmerized by the dazzling display lights made by thousands of fireflies.
Just recently, the road connecting Donsol all the way to Jovellar and Pio Duran has been completed. This major road infrastructure is the result of the convergence project of the Department of Tourism and the Department of Public Works and Highways, with one significant goal, all constructions of road shall be leading to major tourist destinations. Accessibility and ease of travel provides our guests with a hassle-free experience.
http://www.sorsogon.gov.ph/tourism/interactive-map/donsol/
Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) Results showed that the current waste generation rate (WGR) of the City is about 0.707 kg/cap/day while the disposal rate (WDR) is 0.425 kg/cap/day. Most of the generated and disposed of wastes in the city are biodegradables with food waste being the highest. Plastic bags, despite being lightweight, dominate the plastic waste composition of both generated and disposed of wastes. These low-value type of plastic is problematic because they often end up in landfills or in nature due to the absence of local processing technologies.
The results of the baseline study conducted during the Inception Phase show that about 116,292 tonnes of plastic waste are annually generated. A total of 86% or 100,099 tonnes of these generated plastic wastes are collected by both formal and informal sectors while the remaining 14% or 16,193 tonnes/year of plastics are considered unaccounted. These uncollected plastic wastes are leaked into the environment.
Nevertheless, about 24% of the total generated plastic waste is unmanaged. About 13% or 15,254 tonnes of plastic waste are leaked into water systems contributing to the clogging and polluting of estuaries and river systems, 10% or 11,100 tonnes are retained on land, and the remaining are burnt or found in storm drains. A significant number of potential leakages of plastics was identified from collection services and disposal facilities of about 2,969 tonnes and 8,887 tonnes, respectively. These disposal facilities such as the Vitas Marine Loading Station and the Navotas Sanitary Landfill are located beside water systems, allowing for plastic leakage.
Upon consultation with the city’s district offices, the project has identified 461 priority barangays broken down as follows:
1. At least a 10% reduction in municipal solid waste generation
Design Thinking Workshop conducted by WWF-PH; attended by participants from different sectors
Deployed trash bins to a household SWM training participant from District 6
2. At least a 15% increase in the collection of uncollected waste
3. At least a 15% increase in the collection of waste by collection services diverted from disposal
4. At least a 10% reduction in transported untreated waste
Materials Recovery Facility of Barangay 775
Participants from the first installment of SWM Household Training
5. At least a 5% reduction of plastics entering water systems
The Projects’ key plastic reduction targets and their corresponding activities are incorporated and visualized in the City of Manila’s Waste Flow Diagram as shown below:
City Ordinance 8282: Plastic Ban
The City Ordinance 8282 (CO 8282) is a very general blanket prohibition policy on plastic. The law prohibits business establishments from
The law also includes the following prohibited acts for food & commercial businesses and individuals:
Environmental Code
Under the Environmental Code, plastics, although mentioned, are not considered in a holistic manner. First, biodegradable and compostable under this Code are made synonymous with each other. Second, all plastics regardless of type are classified as non-biodegradable and treated as residuals without any value. Third, Manila’s Code does not handle fishing gear effectively.
It is recommended that the E-Code be amended to change these definitions, classifications, and exclusions. Due to the grouping of all plastics as non-biodegradable, there would be valuable plastic that can be recycled. The E-code must also be amended to include microplastics in the soil, air, and water of the City. The E-code must be aligned with sustainable consumption and production plans to ensure effective management of plastics both upstream and downstream.
The E-Code should be updated and amended upon consultation with more stakeholders and after the WACS is completed in order to reflect the true state of the City and to adapt it to local circumstances.
City Ordinance 8729: Environmental Police
The City Ordinance 8729 authorizes the deputation of environmental police under the Department of Public Services (DPS). The Environmental Police have the following powers and duties:
There are best practices that can be taken from the older pieces of legislation that are still being enforced in the City, and that should be kept in any future policies. Some of these include the requirement for public receptacles in public transportation, penalties for prohibited public dumping of waste in streets or waterways, requirements for clean-up drives, provisions on making fines payable to the Barangay environment fund where the violation took place, and requirements for receptacles for segregation in households.
These past policies show us that policies truly need to be accompanied by the proper implementation to be effective. These policies have been in force since 1968 and there are still violations reported by DPS to date. The penalties under these laws, since they have not been updated in many years, are outdated and easy for businesses and individuals to pay. Any policies that are crafted or amended must include provisions in order to ensure the full implementation of the law.
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