Bill banning dumping of garbage in the country pushed

MANILA, Philippines – A lawmaker filed a bill banning of the importation, shipment, entry and dumping of garbage, hazardous scrap or residual wastes in the country.

House Bill 5930 authored by Quezon City Rep. Winston Catelo seeks to address health and environmental issues and its impact on the economy of the country by pushing for the bill that prohibits entry of garbage in the country.

Castelo filed the HB 5930, to be known as the “Anti-Trash Act of 2015”, following the case of the 50 container vans containing wastes shipped in the Philippines from Canada.

"No country in the world should be dumping site for another country's trash. It should therefore be banned for items, materials, or substances detrimental to health and environment to be loaded on container vans and be shipped or imported from foreign countries under any guise that such are recyclables, filling materials or declared as stuff. The Philippines is simply not a dumping ground for such filth," Castelo said.

According to Castelo, the recent waste dumping in the country might set an example that may cause unprecedented problems concerning health and environmental issues due to the substances or materials contained by its waste.

"No country should tolerate the congestion at the ports of container loads upon container loads of garbage, trash or waste. Shipments of trash must certainly be the proper subject of a more stringent and aggressive general ban," Castelo said.

Anti-Trash Act of 2015 likewise prescribes the banning of dumping of hazardous or residual waste brought to the Philippines from other countries.

Under the measure, the Bureau of Customs will be mandated to require prospective importers to secure necessary clearance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources prior to the importation, shipment, entry and dumping of the said item in the country.

 Waste to be shipped shall not be classified as recyclables nor filling materials since these items may cause damage to health and the environment.