FOR AS LONG as I can recall, scavengers and those that scrounge through trash in land fills have been at these activities for their livelihood and to feed their families. Some have even succeeded in sending their kids to college, with quite a handful commendably finishing their degrees with Latin honors.
But for all those decades, the government was always absent, no help not even for capital to start their mini businesses.
Yet they thrived– thanks to sheer determination and sometimes luck (for having a good material pick from the rubbish)– and with help coming from local and foreign civic organizations who upgrade their status through training for micro small and medium enterprises.
It’s pathetic that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which closely monitors the health of air and land in the country– is just now stepping in to formally integrate informal waste workers in the government’s solid waste management system. It took the department a long period of time to realize these disdained subsector of society can be upskilled so they can uplift not just their lot but the country’s economy as well
During the time of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, there was so much fuss given to putting up in every public schools and government offices large metal bins to contain PET bottles and other recyclable plastics, which could be resold directly to users of PET bottles like beverage firms and water refilling stations.
Though most of the LGUs and public schools in provinces still have these bins, it is unsure if they earn from the stored PET bottles or if they just repurpose them as garden sets or pots for plants.
On August 16, the DENR said it would tap informal waste workers (why there is no such thing as formal waste workers except those employed by dump truck companies hired by the LGUs), often from marginalized sectors, to survive by scavenging and selling street wastes or those dug from landfill sites. These include waste reclaimers, itinerant waste buyers and small junk shop operators. Lacking safety gear and health safeguards, they work amid constant exposure to harmful materials, the STar noted.
“Informal waste workers operate without formal policies that ensure workplace safety, stable income, or access to social services. Exposure to hazardous materials puts them at risk of respiratory illnesses, infections and injuries,” the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) said in a statement.
TRAINING FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION
Through the DENR-EMB, the government seeks to provide training and financial literacy programs for informal waste workers to also “promote social inclusion” and give them a chance at an alternative livelihood.
“The informal waste workers remain excluded from the solid waste management value chain, yet their work is indispensable and forms the very backbone of a supply chain that advances environmental sustainability,” DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla said.
As part of its efforts, the agency will provide monetary grants to 50 junk shops in Quezon City to purchase weighing scales and improve waste recovery. The DENR-EMB also seeks to connect them with businesses they could work with under the Extended Producer Responsibility law, which requires enterprises to manage and pay for the pollution they generate.
The government had already conducted lectures for informal waste workers in 2024, particularly catering to some 200 workers in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
The National Solid Waste Management Commission also issued Resolution 1655 in 2024, requiring local government units to integrate programs for informal waste workers into their 10-year solid waste management plans and to ensure their access to essential services.
LACK OF INTEGRATION
“The lack of integration into the formal waste management systems also leaves them vulnerable to social welfare benefits and limits their economic opportunities,” the DENR-EMB said.
“While Republic Act 9003 provides the legal framework for solid waste management, it does not yet establish clear protections or governance structures for the informal waste sector,” it added.
Solid waste management has also taken center stage in discussions over the country’s flood control, with critics questioning why billions in public funds have shown little to no improvement.
The worsening floods in urban areas are partly due to improper waste disposal, which leads to clogged drains and disrupted flow of water, said the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The DENR-EMB (to which I agree) said the government lacks sufficient waste management infrastructure and with the prevalence of single-use plastics and limited access to sanitary landfills, waste disposal remains a pressing issue among Filipinos.
PHL IS TOP WASTE PRODUCER
In Southeast Asia, the Philippines ranks among the top waste producers, with an estimated 23.61 million tons expected in 2025, said the Climate Transparency Platform.
“By prioritizing the welfare of informal waste workers, the DENR-EMB seeks to build a waste management system that is not only environmentally sustainable but also socially just, ensuring that those who contribute to waste recovery and recycling receive the recognition and support they deserve,” the agency said.
The Marcos administration has been reviewing nearly 10,000 flood control projects from 2022 to 2025 and identifying top contractors to hold them accountable for their inability to abide by their contractual promises with local government units.
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