GATCHALIAN RENEWS PUSH FOR WASTE-TO-ENERGY AMID NAVOTAS LANDFILL FIRE

SENATOR Win Gatchalian renewed his push for the enactment of the proposed Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Act, following the week-long fire that engulfed the Navotas sanitary landfill, saying the incident underscores the urgent need for the country to have sustainable waste management solutions.

“Hindi na tayo maaaring manatiling nakaasa sa mga tambakan ng basura na naglalagay sa panganib sa mga komunidad at sumisira sa kalikasan. The current practice is not addressing the waste issue and we need to look at other technologies such as WTE,” Gatchalian said. 

Smoke emissions from a massive fire at the Navotas landfill facility that lasted for more than a week worsened local air pollution, pushing air quality to unhealthy levels.

Gatchalian, author of the proposed measure and vice-chair of the Senate Energy Committee, has been pushing for the passage of the Waste-to-Energy Act, which seeks to establish a regulatory framework for facilities that will process municipal solid waste into usable energy through environmentally sound technologies. 

The proposed legislation allows local government units to adopt WTE technology when deemed feasible and suited to their specific needs, while keeping LGUs primarily responsible for waste management in the country.