A new "green" waste collection center is helping improve the working conditions of waste pickers and recyclers in Manila's Smokey Mountain.
Manila - Smokey Mountain was once a 2-million-ton garbage heap that, for over 40 years, served as a waste disposal facility for the Philippines' capital city of Manila. It drew a large community of informal settlers who scavenged the garbage for their livelihood.
Once Manila's scourge, Smokey Mountain has been transformed by the Government into a low-income housing community for more than 30,000 people. Although the housing situation has improved, the area remains home to individual waste pickers, junk shops, and a variety of people and cooperatives engaged in recycling municipal solid waste, often under very difficult working conditions.
"It became apparent that there was a need to improve the recycling facility and provide capacity building and skills training to the community," said Anita Celdran, program director of Sustainable Project Management, a Geneva-based nongovernment organization that is working to address the problem.
Better Workspace Needed
New services were also needed. The supply chain had to be organized, and the recycling process had to be streamlined to double the selling price of the recyclables. The work conditions of the waste sorters in the area can be quite precarious.
"It became evident that to improve the work environment, a new workspace has become imperative," Celdran explained.
To address this issue, ADB is working with the Philippine Government's National Solid Waste Management Commission to support Sustainable Project Management in training the Smokey Mountain community in improving waste recycling through better collection, sorting, and exporting. Trash is transformed into primary materials that can fetch more profit in international markets like the People's Republic of China, a major importer of recycled plastics.
For more than 2 years, Sustainable Project Management has been training and assisting the community, led by its parish priest, Father Ben Beltran, and the Samahan ng Muling Pagkabuhay Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
"Communities like Smokey Mountain have been stepping up waste recycling programs and turning what used to be regarded as unwanted trash into precious, revenue-generating treasures," Celdran said.
A Green Facility
On 11 May 2007, the Smokey Mountain community inaugurated its first "green" material recovery facility or waste collection center, with the health and safety of the community in mind.
Under the new National Solid Waste Management Law, communities are encouraged to set up material recovery facilities to help divert waste from active landfills. The facility is supported by a $229,500 grant from ADB's Poverty and Environment Program, which aims to accelerate learning about poverty-environment linkages and effective approaches to poverty reduction. It is financed by the Poverty and Environment Fund, through contributions from the Governments of Norway and Sweden, and ADB's technical assistance funding program.
The facility is designed for natural ventilation, protection from heavy rains, and will have a large kitchen area for an expanded food catering business to feed the workers at the site. The Holcim Cement Company provided a 10-day construction training course for 40 residents who, in turn, donated some of their time to help build the facility.
"It has truly taken the effort and support of the whole community to make this new building a reality," Celdran said.
Beyond the Building
In addition to the waste recycling facility, Sustainable Project Management is also working to educate the community on recycling. Households in Smokey Mountain will sort their trash and contribute to the supply chain as most of the organic waste comes directly from collection bins outside of each building in the community.
The cooperative in the area has also been recycling old newspapers and phone books into handbags and accessories, which are sold mostly in Australia. Over 100 housewives were trained to make the bags, giving them additional income. A clothing line is also being launched to create job opportunities in the community.
Despite the projects that are under way in Smokey Mountain, much work remains to be done, according to Celdran. The remaining landfill continues to be a health and safety hazard to the community. Rainwater percolating through the mountain continues to carry traces of metals and toxins that pose health risks to the community even as the mountain now seems to be covered with grass. Unaware of the hazards, a number of community members are growing vegetable gardens on the mountain top while children play along the water run-off.
