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TOUR
LOGBOOK
23
- February 2000 - NEXT TIME ... TRY RECYCLING!
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Greenpeace activists together with allies from the recently formed
Eco-Waste Coalition today urged the Estrada government to stop the
construction of new landfills and channel its energies instead into
real solutions to the waste problem, namely source separation, recycling
and composting. |
 10
activists had the unenviable task of scaling climbed a huge waste “mountain”
in the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City where they unfurled big banners
which read “Next Time ... Try Recycling” to emphasize the group’s demands
against the opening of new landfills and dumpsites in the country.
In
a press conference at the Payatas dumpsite, Greenpeace also disclosed
results of recent scientific tests conducted by the group on leachate
flowing out of the Carmona landfill and the Payatas dumpsite which showed
high levels of toxic heavy metals chromium, copper and lead. The heavy
metals, particularly chromium and lead, are toxic to human beings and
aquatic life. Lead is a potent neurotoxin while chromium has been associated
with various cancers and birth defects.
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“The
results of our investigations offer clear proof that dumpsites and
landfills are ticking toxic time bombs. These toxic contaminants
are leaking into our water systems and may already be contaminating
critical groundwater sources. While the effects of the contamination
may not be immediately evident, there is no question that environmental
and public health is being compromised,” said Francis de la Cruz,
Greenpeace toxics campaigner in the Philippines. |
The
press conference highlighted that in both waste dumps, the untreated
leachate flows into critical water systems and reservoirs such as the
Laguna Lake in the case of Carmona and the San Mateo River in the case
of Payatas. The La Mesa dam, principal source of Metro Manila’s drinking
water is also situated next to the Payatas dumpsite.
 “While
the Philippines gained a lot of headway when it banned incineration
in the Clean Air Act of 1999, it is ironic that the government is still
fixated with flawed, back-end non- solutions such as landfills in its
overall strategy to deal with the country’s burgeoning waste crisis,”
said Greenpeace toxics campaigner Von Hernandez.
“The key issue is not to find better landfills or incinerators to control
what comes out of them, but to organize our communities to control what
goes in. Government needs to radicalize its approach to waste,” Hernandez
added.
For more info on Landfill issues read the Greenpeace
briefing paper
Feb
26 - Pansig River, Manila
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