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UP Diliman Task Force on Solid Waste Management

I initially intended to go to my barangay’s Materials Recovery Facility, but I found out that all our wastes go directly to Payatas Landfill. That’s why I wanted to talk about the MRF of UP Diliman instead. However, when I visited their Facebook page, I found out that I needed to send them an email before a field visit or an interview. So I decided to just watch videos of them explaining what they do.

The UP Diliman Task Force on Solid Waste Management was featured in Green Living in 2018, where they explained their different activities. First they do solid waste management, which lasts for half a day. Second, they do urban gardening, which lasts all day.

For the solid waste management, they go house to house to collect food waste and yard waste in the morning. From an average of 1000 households in the campus, they are able to collect around 400 kg of food waste by going from house to house. People and establishments also drop in their food waste, which goes around 200 kg. The yard waste (e.g. leaves, grass) that they are able to collect go up to, on average, 3 truckloads per day. The food waste usually still has residual waste with it, since most food waste is put in plastic bags so those are separated from the real food waste. The food waste is ground so that it will decompose faster, as well as the yard waste. The yard waste is then spread on the ground, then the food waste is put on top of it. Old compost is added to accelerate further the decomposition of the food waste and yard waste. Their mixture is 40% food waste, 40% yard waste, 20% old compost. They operate the composting in two ways: conventional composting (using compost bins), and composting using a bioreactor. After one month, the compost is ready to be harvested and sold.

For the urban gardening, the UP MRF has a one-hectare land for the plants. They plant vegetables like cassava, banana, sweet potato leaves, lettuce, pechay, string beans, and bottle gourd. They also plant ornamental plants like mayana, small balete, red tea plant, as well as dill. In growing their plants, they only use organic compost, and no chemical fertilizer or insecticide. People go to UP TFSWM to buy their vegetables because they say that they’re tastier and healthier.

The full Green Living feature on UP TFSWM can be accessed at this link.

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Payatas Field Visit

Last November 11, 2019, we visited the Payatas Engineered Sanitary Landfill in Quezon City. We were first given an orientation by Engr. Louie Sabater, who oversees all operations in the sanitary landfill.

After the orientation, he gave us a tour around the grounds. He first showed us some kind of plant for biomass, as shown below.

After that, he led us to a spot nearer to the landfill. He said that the garbage was dumped underground from where we were standing, and I could definitely tell because of the smell in the area. We took a look around the sanitary landfill as shown below.

The tour finished after that and we went back to the entrance of the sanitary landfill where we took group pictures. Despite the closure of Payatas Engineered Sanitary Landfill, necessary post-closure measures should still be taken, especially given that there are residents near the area. Engineers like Engr. Sabater make this as organized as possible.

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“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

October 28 Field Visit Part 2/2

After visiting the Manila Water Balara Treatment Plant, we went to the Solid Waste Management Facility of Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City.

Upon entering the premises of the facility, people dumping the collected garbage with the other trash can be seen, as shown in the photo below.

The director of the facility showed us the area where they do composting.

They did a demonstration on making compost using non-kitchen waste (e.g. leaves), as shown in the photos below.

Then they also did a demonstration using other materials, like the ones shown below.

After, they showed us their Waste Recycling Center, where different materials are recycled and made into home decorations.

After that, the director showed us their office, where they manage the facility and compute the total waste generated.

Someone who’s part of the staff showed us an area where they sell products from recycled materials. They sell bricks that are made recycle PVC, and other kinds of products.

The system and organization of the Holy Spirit for their solid waste management is admirable, and they really try to manage their waste and put them to good use. Some of the works in the waste recycling center are amazing and are actually nice to look at. I used to think that products from recycled materials look kind of tacky, but looking at some of their works, I guess it doesn’t have to be that way. I guess there’s just something about plastic that makes things look tacky, but other products from newspaper look really nice, especially when put with some color.

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“I know I can treat you better than he can.” - Manila Water to raw water

October 28 Field Visit Part 1/2

Last October 28, our EnE 31 class went to the Manila Water treatment facility in Balara, Quezon City. We first had an orientation about the treatment plant and Manila Water’s organization and treatment process.

We were then shown how they control filtration, and how they automated it, as shown in the photos below.

They told us that before, they had to manually do everything, even when opening tanks.

After that, the plant manager gave us a tour around Balara Treatment Plant 1. We were given helmets as PPTs were necessary for people entering the facility.

He first showed us some kind of tubs where different kinds of water (according to treatment stage) are placed, as seen in the photo below.

There were measuring devices near these tubs that measure different parameters of the water (turbidity, pH), as seen in the photo below.

After that, we were shown the filtration tanks and how the water is filtrated in this stage.

After that, they showed us the accelator treatment facility, which they said is more efficient as it has a smaller footprint than the traditional filtration facility.

After that, we were shown where clean water is stored.

It was interesting to watch the painstaking process that water has to go through just to be clean and safe enough for us to consume. Given how long the treatment process is, I see more the importance of clean and safe water. We really should not waste it, and instead, conserve them and put them to good use.

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The Walking Dead: SVAP Edition

Last October 7, 2019, our class had a field activity at the UP Lagoon where we conducted a Stream Visual Assessment Protocol on a stream. We assessed the water quality in the stream based on the criteria specified in the manual provided by our instructor. I wasn’t sure if the activity was enjoyable since the area isn’t exactly the freshest spot in the campus, but the experience was interesting enough.

While assessing the stream, one of my groupmates got splashed on the hand by streamwater. We knew that the water isn’t really clean so we teased her that she was infected already and she was going to get sick. Minutes after, another one of my groupmates was playing with his ID and it fell straight into the stream. We laughed so hard and teased him that he was infected too since he had to fish his ID out of the water.

The activity was interesting but I’m not sure if I’m one for the outdoors. There were mosquitoes and other animals like frogs in the area (all of which I’m not fond of). I’m not sure if I’d want to do it again.

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“No water, no life. No blue, no green.”

A few weeks ago we were tasked to calculate out water footprint using the calculator developed by GRACE Communications Foundation at www.watercalculator.org. I answered a series of questions and the phot below shows my result.

Needless to say, I was disappointed by the result. Apparently, sometimes less really is more. My water footprint exceeded that of the US (Average).

The photo below shows my water footprint classified as indoor water, outdoor water and virtual water.

It can be seen in the photos above that there are relatively low spikes in the indoor water section. The outdoor water section has no spikes and seems to have low amounts. The virtual water section has really high spikes compared to those of the indoor water section and also has negative scores in some areas.

In the succeeding photos, my footprint can be compared with the US Average in certain areas related to indoor, outdoor and virtual water.

It can be seen in the photos that my footprint is higher than that of the US (Average) in these areas: shower, bathroom sink, toilet, kitchen sink, dishes, paper, and diet.

The website provides different suggestions and solutions to lessen one’s water footprint in a certain area. I looked for those that I have a significantly water footprint in compared the US, like shower, bathroom sink, toilet, kitchen sink, dishes and diet.

To lessen my water footprint, I should probably spend less time in the shower. It’s hard to do, honestly, since I always find myself being lost in my thoughts when I’m in the shower even when I’m in a hurry. I think I also have to turn off the faucet when I’m not using it, like when I’m brushing my teeth, I sometimes forget to turn off the faucet. When I forget to turn it off, it’s all good water down the drain. The site suggested to check for a toilet leak by using dye and putting it into the tank. This is achievable. But aside from that, it also suggested to practice “If it’s yellow, let it mellow”. Now this is a tough one for me. It is a pet peeve of mine when people who pee before me don’t flush the toilet because it just feels dirty to me. I donlt know if I’ll be able to achieve this. For the kitchen sink, not letting the faucet needlessly running also works. Also, the site suggested to install a low-flow faucet in the sink which flows at a slower rate than conventional faucets. For the dishes, maybe we could lessen the plates we use every time we eat to have to use less water when we wash dishes. The diet is a really big issue. There’s a significant difference between my footprint and that of the US, and that is because I personally like meat a lot. Also, my whole family eats meat. The site suggested to eat more vegetables, go vegetarian one day a week, choose pasture-raised products, avoid processed foods and avoid nuts. I will do my best to do what the site suggested.

It’s important to lessen our water footprint, not just individually, but also as one race that makes use of our natural resources on a daily basis. We have to be aware of the consequences of our decisions on the health of our planet.

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Ecological Footprint

According to WWF,

The simplest way to define ecological footprint would be to call it the impact of human activities measured in terms of the area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods consumed and to assimilate the wastes generated. More simply, it is the amount of the environment necessary to produce the goods and services necessary to support a particular lifestyle.

With the help of the Global Footprint Network at www.footprintcalculator.org, I was able to calculate my ecological footprint, which is shown and broken down in the images below.

I eat meat and other meat derivatives like dairy products and processed foods daily. My family of 4 lives in a small concrete duplex-type building and has a lot of appliances. We’re trying to use solar energy for lights at home but most of the energy that we use is from the electricity provided by Meralco. I haven’t been riding planes for about four years now. I commute every day in going to school, traveling 20 km one-way. The calculator doesn’t seem to account for the time I’m stuck in traffic every day, and that’s a lot of time. And during this time, motorized vehicles still emit carbon monoxide which harms the environment. I also ride different vehicles every day. Sometimes, I ride my family’s car which uses premium gas (Euro 6), but sometimes I ride public utility vehicles that use diesel and these have different effects to the environment.

According to the site, if everyone lived like I do now, we would need 3.3 Earths. That’s a lot of Earths. It actually surprised me still, how large my ecological footprint is. According to the site, the average footprint in the US is 5 Earths, and 3.3 is still more than half of that number. I honestly felt a bit relieved that my footprint didn’t exceed 5, but then in reality it’s still not something I should be proud of, because 3.3 still means that Earth cannot support my current lifestyle and we, as humans, still have a long way to go in terms of sustainable development.

The site not only calculates one’s ecological footprint but also provides possible solutions like the ones presented below.

It would take collective effort to minimize our ecological footprint, from individuals to large commercial entities. That includes the minimization of the production of single-use plastics. That also includes responsible gathering of resources to preserve the balance of the ecology on Earth.