Why throw your garbage away, when they can be still be reused and recycled. The recycling bug has indeed hit GMA, Cavite. With the mantra “May Grasya sa Basura” the Ecosavers Program in the 5 schools in GMA, Cavite seek to educate their students on the importance of proper waste management through the practice of segregation. The Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines (SWAPP) with the support of the Coca-Cola Foundation has made it possible to plan and organize waste recovery and recycling programs in the 5 participating schools . These school are now implementing the Grasya sa Basura Ecosavers Program.

After the February 15, 2010 official launching of the Ecosavers Program last school year, each of the participating school have re-launched their programs to mark the beginning of the school year. The month of June has been a busy month for the Ecosavers member schools. In a span of 3 weeks, from June 21, 2010 to July 5, 2010, 4 schools in GMA, Cavite have launched their Ecosaver program. San Gabriel 1 Elementary School held its launching on June 21, 2010, which was followed by General Mariano Alvarez Technical High School which launched their program on June 28, 2010. A week later, on July 5, 2010, San Gabriel 2 Elementary School and the Holy Family Academy also launched their respective Grasya sa Basura Ecosavers Program.

Rotary International District 3810 in partnership with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is implementing the USAID-Rotary Pasig River Improvement Program in Paco and Sta. Ana, Manila and Baesa, Quezon City. Primarily, the project aims to contribute to the improvement of the Pasig River system through the construction of a wastewater treatment plant in Sta. Ana Public Market, improve solid waste management in Sta. Ana, Paco and Baesa, and establish comprehensive community sanitation initiatives to improve the lives of Metro Manila residents.

For solid waste component in Sta. Ana and Paco, Manila, Rotary International District 3810 tapped the expertise of the Solid Waste Management Association of the Philippines. SWAPP will conduct a series of activities to develop and implement an ecological solid waste management program in seven barangays and one public market.

For Phase 1, SWAPP will develop a solid waste management system for the Sta. Ana Public Market where the wastewater treatment plant is being constructed. SWAPP is currently conducting a Waste Characterization and Assessment Study in the public market and 6 surrounding barangays, namely: Barangay 876, Zone 96; Barangay 885, Zone 97; Barangay 884, Zone 97; Barangay 879, Zone 96; Barangay 873, Zone 96; and Barangay 889, Zone 98. The purpose of conducting a WACS is to generate baseline information about the current solid waste practices, volume of waste generation and projected waste generation and projected waste generation based on population. This activity will be completed in two months.

After the WACS, SWAPP will facilitate the formulation of the market and barangay solid waste management plans, develop some promotional activities to generate interest and awareness and encourage community participation, and conduct capability building activities for the various stakeholders in the community.

Other partners in this endeavor are the USAID Philippine Sanitation Alliance, City Government of Manila, and the Lola Grande Foundation, an NGO active in Sta. Ana.       

This publication, Solid Waste Management in the World Cities is the third edition in the UN-HABITAT’s “State of Water and Sanitation in the World Cities” series. It is a product of a collaborative effort between UN-HABITAT and WASTE, Advisers on urban environment in Gouda, the Netherlands. It aims to capture the world’s current waste management trends and draw attention to the importance of waste management, especially regarding its role in reaching the UN Millennium Development Goals. It provides a fresh perspective and new data on one of the biggest issues in urban development.

Using the framework of Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM), the report brings together unprecedented research from across six continents. It uncovers the rich diversity of waste management systems that are in place throughout the world, and draws out the practical lessons for policymakers. The volume will be essential reading for all professionals and policymakers in the field, as well as a valuable resource for researchers and students in all aspects of urban development.

The core of the report is 20 profiles of urban solid waste and recyclingsystems in cities from all continents, illustrating how solid waste works in practice in tropical and temperate zones, in small and large cities, in rich and poor countries, and at a variety of sizes and scales. Each of the 20 cities is invited to provide a parallel data set,allowing analysis, comparison, and cross-referencing. In addition, specific features of the profiled cities – and others – are highlighted in short case examples.

A publicity pager from Solid Waste Management in the World’s Cities can be found on:

http://www.earthscan.co.uk/Portals/0/pdfs/Solid_Waste_Management_Ch_2.pdf

The book can be ordered directly from Earthscan via: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=102382 and the voucher code AF20, Earthscan will give any customers a 20% discount when they order on Earthscan's website.