EcoGroups urge Pampanga to focus on zero waste, not waste-to-energy

San Fernando, Pampanga –Environmental justice and health networks Mother Earth Foundation, EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), and Health Care Without Harm (HCWH) call on the Province of Pampanga to defend the Clean Air and Ecological Solid Waste Management Acts, and be wary of waste-to-energy combustion projects being offered at no-cost to municipalities of the province at the Anti-Incineration Road Show (AIR Show), a series of workshops and community consultations about waste-to-energy held around the country.

Froilan Grate, President of the Mother Earth Foundation, pointed out that they key to solving waste problems in the province is already in the hands of the municipalities considering most of them have their own solid waste management ordinances. “Firm enforcement of waste reduction, re-use, segregation, recycling and composting measures maybe done within the province. Not only will it bring savings from collecting and transporting waste to landfills or incinerators, it will also contribute to the conservation of our dwindling natural resources by reducing the need to extract virgin resources to manufacture new products.”

National laws mandating proper waste management abound in the country. “We have the Clean Air Act that prohibits burning of waste and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law that aims to set a systematic, comprehensive and ecological waste management program leading to zero waste Philippines,” said Christina Vergara, Zero Waste Officer of the EcoWaste Coalition. “Burning waste in incinerators conflict with every effort to properly enforce our ecological waste management law that ensures materials conservation,” she emphasized.

Although the promise of waste-to-energy may seem too good to resist, Paeng Lopez, National Campaigner of GAIA, was quick to point out the problems related to waste-to-energy incineration facilities. “Waste-to-energy burn facilities are as unsustainable as they are polluting. They burn useful materials that maybe reused, recycled, or composted to produce energy that is five times less than what we can conserve by reusing, recycling, and composting in the first place.”

He also added, “In 2011 US EPA found out that incinerators release 14 times more mercury as coal-fired power plants per unit of energy, and emit far higher levels of greenhouse gas throughout their lifecycles than source reduction, reuse and recycling of the same materials.”

Lopez pointed out that pyrolysis, gasification, plasma arc are all incinerators in disguise.

Sonia Astudillo, Communications & Press Campaigner of HCWH, shared that waste management even in hospitals is indeed no sweat if we know the right thing to do. “Hospital wastes especially infectious wastes which were once considered the worst nightmare for any waste management program and often the excuse used to bring back incineration may be treated and disinfected through the use of autoclaves and microwaves.” Non-infectious wastes maybe recycled and treated as regular household waste.

The EcoGroups highlighted the economic impact of non-burning citing examples of too-good-to-be-true-WTE that turned sour and simple non-burn practices that eventually lead to extra income for the community.

“The aim is to move Pampanga towards zero waste and we will surely accomplish this with their determined cooperation,” said Grate.

ENVI-HEALTH GROUP QUESTIONS DAVAO’S PYROCLAVE

Environmental health group Health Care Without Harm-Asia Pacific (HCWH-AP) today raises alarm over a proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to be entered into by the Mayor of Davao City to use Pyroclave technology to address the disposal of hospital waste. The same proposal is currently in negotiation in Davao del Norte, Cagayan de Oro and Cebu City.

“We would like to point out that contrary to claims of RAD Green Solutions, the proponent of Pyroclave technology, that this is not a non-burn technology,” said Merci Ferrer, HCWH-AP Director “The name is clear ‘pyro’ meaning fire.”

“Proper disposal of medical waste is very important and we have been campaigning to hospitals and the Department of Health on how to treat and handle infectious medical waste,” said Ferrer. “We would like to emphasize that there are available clean technologies in the country that we can use such as microwave and autoclave.”

The Clean Air Act banned the use of incinerators for both solid and medical waste making the Philippines the only country in the world to ban incineration.

The Philippines is likewise among the eight participating countries to the UNDP-Global Environment Facility which aims to reduce environmental release of dioxins and mercury by promoting best techniques and practices for reducing and managing health care waste. In the Philippines, the project is promoting the use of non-burn technology specifically autoclave. The DoH is the implementing agency of the project.

According to the website of RAD Green Solutions, Pyroclave reduces waste to its original form and turns them into carbon within 15 to 20 minutes using intense heat. The gas produced inside the chamber is collected, processed then re-introduced into the burners as fuel.

“We would like to warn the City Council and other local government officials to be wary of incinerators-in-disguise proposals,” said Ferrer.

The 2000 EU directive on incineration states that incineration plant means any stationary or mobile technical unit and equipment dedicated to the thermal treatment of wastes with or without recovery of the combustion heat generated. This includes the incineration by oxidation of waste as well as other thermal treatment processes such as pyrolysis, gasification or plasma processes in so far as the substances resulting from the treatment are subsequently incinerated.

“It is clear that what they are promoting is incineration,” said Ferrer. “But the bigger question is how a dirty technology such as Pyroclave received a certification from the DoH.”

In 2011, Special Rapporteur Calin Georgescu to the UN Human Rights Council called for an end to the incineration of medical waste in order to protect human health and the environment. He is pushing for the replacement of incineration as a disposal method of hazardous medical waste with more environmentally-friendly and safe methods of disposal, such as autoclaving.

“Again, we need to go back to proper management of waste through waste minimization, segregation and then proper treatment and disposal of infectious waste which more often than not is just 15% of all the waste produced in the hospital.

“We have documented hospitals around the country who managed their waste properly and successfully without resorting to burning,” said Ferrer.

The group will be sending a letter to the City Council of Davao and other localities to present a strong case against using technologies that is harmful to the environment.

Media Contacts:

Sonia G. Astudillo, +63 9189182369; sonia@no-harm.org

Merci Ferrer +63 9209056113; merci@no-harm.org

HCWH is an international coalition with over 483 member organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care sector world-wide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically-sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and environment. For more information on HCWH-SEA, visit www.noharm.org

On World Environment Day, EVEN HOSPITALS ARE GOING PLASTIC- AND STYRO-FREE

Chief Seattle’s “take only memories, leave nothing but footprints” often seen at tourist places as a gentle reminder not to spoil a precious travel destination may now be used in health care facilities.

Yes, nowadays, even hospitals are cleaning their grounds by going plastic- and styrofoam-free.

“The move to go plastic and styro-free in hospitals started several years ago,” said Merci Ferrer, Director of Health Care Without Harm-Asia Pacific, an environmental-health NGO. “It is fair to say that some of our hospitals got the ball rolling, way before local government units and the Congress”

No styro-No plastic policy

At San Lazaro Hospital (SLH) in Manila, a no plastic-no styro memorandum has been in place for a few years now. While the implementation has been gradual, the dietary section is no longer using styrofoam for food served to patients.

“The dietary section is completely free from styrofoam and we are looking at alternatives to the plastic cling wraps used to cover food. The canteen, which is zero-styrofoam zone too, is slowly minimizing the use of plastics,” said Dr. Karen Arago, Program Manager for SLH Health Care Waste Management Committee. “We are likewise thinking of ways to discourage people to use plastic spoons and forks for take-out food while looking for alternatives that are reusable and/or biodegradable.”

Hospital employees are encouraged to bring their own utensils but problem arises for visitors who request for plastic spoons and forks.

According to Daniel S. Tuglao, head of the dietary section, volunteer nurses, medical technologist, radiology technicians, mortuary attendants and 24-hours doctors are even instructed to bring their own containers for their free meals courtesy of SLH dietary section.

SLH is also in the process of removing drinking straws in their canteen.

“Eventually we want those coming in the hospital to know that we are moving away from plastic,” said Arago. “We want them to see the complete picture of health and that it is a complete work-out. It is not just about going to hospitals, getting medicines and being treated by doctors. It is also about using resources that are safe for your health and the environment.”

“Some hospitals are also moving away from plastic admission kits and are using paper or reusable bags,” said Ferrer. Among these are St. Paul de Chartres (SPC) health care ministry 14 hospitals around the Philippines and St. Loius University Hospital of the Sacred Heart in Baguio City, to name just a few.

“Right away, it meant a few less plastic bags,” said Ferrer. “The admission kits may also be made of cloth from flour bags which would otherwise be discarded. People from the community can get together and help make these bags providing them a source of livelihood.”

In March, Maria Reyna Xavier University Hospital, a SPC hospital in Cagayan de Oro City, implemented a no styrofoam policy. While still in transition phase, patients and doctors are starting to adjust to the new policy. Even fast food stores delivering food to hospital staff and patients are getting the message.

PVC medical device

“Aside from plastic and styrofoam for food packaging, hospitals are also looking at alternatives to PVC plastic medical devices such as IV bags and tubing,” said Ferrer.

Manufacturing PVC generates highly toxic dioxin, one of the most persistent organic pollutants known to science and it poses the greatest risk to hospital patients.

In its pure form, PVC is stiff and brittle. It can only be made into consumer products by the addition of modifying chemicals, the most common of which for PVC medical device is the DEHP.

“DEHP can leach out from products like IV tubing directly into the body of the patient. Its risks are acknowledged by several medical associations and government agencies and thus we advocate replacing PVC and DEHP-containing products with alternatives,” Ferrer added.

Health Care Without Harm has developed a list of alternatives to PVC-DEHP medical devices. The list is available at www.noharm.org.

Media Contacts:

Sonia G. Astudillo, +63 9189182369; sonia@no-harm.org

Merci Ferrer +63 9209056113; merci@no-harm.org

HCWH is an international coalition with over 483 member organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care sector world-wide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically-sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and environment. For more information on HCWH-SEA, visit www.noharm.org