Ms. Loreli Faustino Ricasa explained the waste management practices of Olongapo, and formulated a plan for environmental awareness in the city’s schools.

1. The City

The population of Olongapo City in 2007 was 218,304, with a labor force of 134,005 and an average of 4.8 persons per household. 

In recent years, the city’s waste management system has been well managed, being awarded national green and clean program awards, and cited by UN HABITAT as a best practice project. 

Prior to 1989, the city lacked an effective garbage collection system, which meant inappropriate waste disposal by citizens, detrimental to the environment and causing health issues. In 1989, Olongapo became the first city in the Philippines to implement a twice-weekly garbage collection service to every home and business. In the same year, it created the Environmental and Sanitation Management Office (ESMO), a self funded municipal enterprise. Its mission is to maintain a healthy physical well balanced environment, conducive to human habitation. 

Waste from main streets and public markets is now collected daily. As both waste collection and utilities like electricity are provided by the city government, citizens pay for them together. There is currently, however, a budget deficit, due to spiraling implementation costs of increased wages and equipment maintenance. A large fleet of collection trucks, currently being upgraded to mechanical lifting compactor trucks, are also increasing waste management costs. The trucks are cleverly used to inform the public on waste disposal and collection by way of sounding out educational jingles, slogans and public address announcements. 

Citation ticket fines are now issued to those who discard litter in the streets, implemented by ESMO’s fleet of motorcycle monitors. First time offenders are charged 500 pesos, second time offenders 1,000 pesos, and third time offenders 1,500 pesos. 

A large landfill site outside Olongapo should cater for waste from the city for the next twenty years. With technical assistance from Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority of Canada, the site was turned into a regulated, controlled site in 2002, with new restrictions on deposition, increased record keeping, and the use of inert cover soils. 

A significant amount of domestic waste produced (64%) is biodegradable, so recycling is regulated through junk shops in each baranguay of the city, and composting activities are being promoted. In 1997, 10,695 tons of recyclable materials were marketed. 

Biomedical wastes from hospitals are autoclaved to destroy pathogens, and disposed of in color coded containers for safety at dumpsites. At source, waste is now divided into recyclable, biodegradable and residual, but more public participation is necessary. The city government has learned the importance of massive public information campaigns, and has set up a task force to deal with citizens’ queries and problems concerning waste disposal. To increase greenery in the city, tree planting is also being promoted by the city government.

Mayor James Gordon Jr., actively involved in the greening of Olongapo

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1. The Proposed Action Plan

In order to facilitate Olongapo’s at-source segregation of domestic waste, Ms. Loreli Faustino Ricasa’s action plan aims to create an effective information, education and communication (IEC) campaign at grade-school level. 

With six elementary schools as a pilot project area, a planning and monitoring committee will be developed to oversee a series of seminars and training sessions held in the schools. These will promote effective waste segregation and disposal, as well as composting and recycling activities. The idea behind the project is that if children are given environmental awareness and taught about domestic waste, they will influence other members of their households, and take their awareness into adulthood, inspired to create a greener city for future generations. 

Special competitions will be arranged to tie in with the internationally marked Earth Day on 22 April. This should increase awareness and support of the project itself, as well as the interest of international organizations. Local radio and TV involvement will also be encouraged. 

Through educating, informing and communicating, a cleaner environment will be sustainable in the future.

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Olongapo Action Plan Time Frame: 3rd Quarter of 2008 - 4th Quarter of 2009

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