Ivisan Municipal Hall

The  session opened with a sharing of ideas on the concept of  solid waste management.  Participants  said  SWM is  about waste segregation and proper  waste disposal.   Poor  SWM results to floods,  diseases, and destructive typhoons  and  climate change.    It was discussed  how is  SWM related to education.   Teaching students  good citizenship,  civic-mindedness and responsibility are  important steps in developing  care  for the environment.

Assessment of Education using the latest Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA)

Talking of education,  the DepEd representatives shared  the CRLA pre-assessments results.   The data shows only 39.76%  of  Grade 3  students to be grade-ready. 

Random assessment of Barangays’ solid waste management

Challenges  and  Issues:  Garbage Collection and Disposal system

Brgy Cabugao (coastal community)

• Collects plastic bottles and utilize them as planters;  some are sold to junk shops; some are used as decorative items
• Biggest problem is the garbage along its coastline coming from Roxas City and Aklan

Brgy Basiao (coastal community)

• having problems with garbage.  Some households segregate but most residents lack discipline
• they don’t know how to dispose of residuals
• Basiao is a populated community and has many beach resorts which are main contributors  to the garbage problem
• one of the biggest environmental challenge facing Basiao is the accumulation of solid waste along its coastline.  These wastes, which are believed  to originate from Roxas City and Aklan, are carried by ocean currents and washed ashore during high tide.   In some instances, dead animals were also found drifting along with the debris which contributes to the pollution of the coastal waters. 

Brgy Balaring

• some households segregate plastic bottles and sell them to junk shops
• Garbage collection is done every Saturday

Municipal level

• Vehicles  passing along Ivisan dump garbage on the road.   Usually at night time trucks  carrying sacks of  garbage  intentionally dump them  in Ivisan.   LGU law enforcers  discovered that the vehicle owners  are not from Ivisan and  believed  to be  from Roxas City and Sapian. 
• Lack of  discipline among house holds who carelessly and habitually dump their wastes in the streets
• Most households and communities  do not exercise waste  segregation;  do not have garbage receptacles or garbage bags for segregating wastes;  Do not have knowledge or do not  practice composting  biodegradables
• Garbage collected are brought to the Ecopark where workers do  segregation of wastes.  
• Glass bottles,  broken glass and styro foam are not accepted by most junk shops.  These types of wastes  are stored and consolidated in the Ecopark  and  brought to Passi City land fill.  LGU pays P800 per metric ton of residual waste transferred to Passi City.

Schools

• Schools have MRFs where they store plastic bottles and other recyclables
• Recyclables are sold to junk shops and proceeds are used  for school clean and green program

Plans on Education

1. Reading Program
2. Integrate SWM concept in lessons or  story reading sessions and  materials
3. Teach good citizenship and values relating to care for the environment

• Parents Training:  Nanay-Tatay Teacher Training
• Educating parents and children on waste reduction,  segregation and disposal
• Responsible parenting

• Teachers Training in teaching beginning/basic reading

• Training of Day Care Workers

Barangays’ Wish List

1. Push cart or wheel barrow – for garbage collection within narrow streets and alleys;  hauling   garbage from collection point to garbage truck on scheduled pick up

• Solar-powered  E-bike  or   Tricycle with side car (made of steel/metal)

E-Bike costs around P70,000 plus the solar power battery

(counterpart sharing with LGU, Brgys and Community Residents)

Each household will be charged monthly  waste management fees  as their counterpart share for the E-Bike, solar power  battery and side car

Provision of  Incentives
  1)  Search for the Best barangays in environmental management and protection

         1^st prize  P30,000           3^rd Prize – 20,000     Consolation Prizes – P5,000 each

          2^nd Prize P25,000          4^th Prize – 15,000    

         With Plaque

• Lakbay –Aral for Barangays
• Plastic bottles exchange for rice  

Ivisan Ecological Park

 The LGU has an Eco-Park which is  owned,  managed and operated by the municipal government.  Recyclables such as  plastic and  glass bottles are brought to the Eco-Park for segregation and cleaning/washing.   There are  35 ambulant scrappers,  6 waste collectors and ecological aides.  Twenty (20) eco aides per barangay work as  community street sweepers.  They are  paid as  job order workers and provided with incentives.   The  scrappers and segregators work in the eco park.  Part of their responsibilities is  maintenance and upkeep of the eco-park.  They segregate  and wash  plastic bottles  and classify them  according to size and color.   They compost  biodegradable wastes,   maintain vegetable garden  and  plant fruit trees.   Plant and vegetable seeds are provided by the Municipal Agriculture Office.    Park workers also plant flowers in the eco-park.    There is an association of Cut Flowers in Ivisan.

A total of 8 junk shops are operating in Ivisan.  2 out of the 8 shops have business permits while 6 have yet to secure local permit to operate their business.    Most barangays  consolidate  and  segregate  plastic bottle wastes and sell them to junk shops.  

The LGU partnered  with two aggregators –  Villar Sipag Foundation and Enviro-Plastic in Oton, Iloilo.   Under the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Villar,  shredded plastic bottles are exchanged  for plastic chairs.    Enviro Plastic  buys plastic bottles, shredded plastics and Styrofoam from Ivisan.  

Other plastic bottles  are  sold  to junk shops.  Sale proceeds  are  used to buy water  for park workers  and detergent  for cleaning plastic bottles.  Clean bottles command a higher  price  especially when sorted and classified  according to color. 

 Residual wastes  are brought to Passi City sanitary land fill in Iloilo.   Ivisan pays P800 per metric ton of  residual waste   Passi City land fill has facilities to process  residuals.

The municipal government allocated  P2 million from  the  General Fund  for the reconditioning of eco-park equipment  and rehabilitation of the park.   The Municipal Environment Officer  is hopeful the Eco-park will be fully up and running before the end of 2025. 

Interview with MENRO and Eco-park Workers:  SWM baseline assessment and capacity building needs

• Local Ordinances on Solid Waste Management (copies to be provided to Synergeia)
• “No Plastics Day” – every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday
• “ No segregation, No collection Policy
• Anti-Littering

• Barangay MRFs
• 3 to 5 MRFs per barangay

• WACS data (to be provided to Synergeia)
• January-July 2025  data being organized by Ma’am Clyde, MENRO
• 2021 or 2022 data to be provided

• Proposed Capacity Building/Training for Ivisan

4.1 Enforcement of Brgy SWM Plans, Local Ordinances – techniques on enforcement

4.2 Refresher on Environment and SWM Laws and Implementation

4.3 Strategies on Creating  SWM Board  and Barangay Committee – 5 to 8 participants per barangay

       4.4 Scrappers Training (include junk shop operators)

• Training on Recycling/Upcycling/Composting
• Production of materials out of scraps

  4.5 Livelihood Skills Training

• Agri-crop production/vegetable gardening
• Cookery and food preparation
• Beauty care 
• Sewing (e.g.  creating bag from tarpaulin, etc)

  5) Organization of Waste Collectors and Scrappers into a cooperative or association

• 35 ambulant scrappers
• 6 waste collectors
• 20 Eco aides

6) Needs of Waste collectors and Scrappers

• Boots
• Hand gloves
• Rain coat
• Reusable face mask
• Long sleeves shirt
• Working pants
• Large umbrella (to be used when washing bottles and gardening)