Monday, April 4, 2011

Modular Approach to Zero Waste Management in a School or Community

Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature - School on Blog

Lesson: Zero Waste Management for a healthy, clean and beautiful environment

UST Graduate students enjoy a beautiful and clean surrounding


OBSERVATIONS

1. Littering in classrooms, along corridors and on campus grounds.

2. Occasional presence of vermin such as flies, cockroaches and rodents.

3. Untidy waste cans, blackboards, walls, floor and the like.

4. Non-compliance of waste segregation scheme, evidenced by mixed wastes in collecting bins.

5. Prohibition of eating inside classrooms not strictly complied with.

6. Canteen rules not strictly followed. Renovation of leftover receptacles needed.

OBJECTIVES

1. To maintain a clean, healthy and environment friendly campus.

2. To reduce incidence of pest and diseases on the campus.

3. To instill discipline among members of the community on waste management.

4. To re-echo discipline on waste management to the family and immediate community.

5. To minimize the cost of waste disposal and generate income from recycled materials

STRATEGIES

1. To include in classroom instruction modules pertaining to waste management.

2. To strengthen information campaign on anti-littering and proper waste disposal.

3. To adopt an effective segregation scheme and promote orderliness through an “ID confiscation and seminar scheme.”

4. To coordinate with local government units and non-governmental and community organizations (NGOs and COOs) on matters pertaining to waste management.

5. To involve all members of the community to cooperate and strongly support in the effective implementation of the program. Student organizations will have to police their ranks, so to speak, while faculty and staff members shall directly supervise the strict implementation of the program.

Module 1 - Information Campaign

OBJECTIVE: To increase the level of awareness in the community on the importance of keeping the campus clean, healthy, orderly and environment friendly.

RATIONALE: Following the lecture-demonstration on Zero Waste Management, there is need to have a follow up on the topic through actual implementation. Garbage is a concern of all - at home, in school, on the street, at the park and in the neighborhood and immediate community. Hence, our concern permeates through our own campus into our own homes and surroundings. It is important therefore to elevate awareness to a point of discipline that cleanliness is part of our daily lives and culture.

ACTIVITIES: Increased awareness can be attained, other than classroom instruction, by means of posters, memos, demonstrations or by direct reminders to offenders.
1. Classroom lecture and demonstration
2. Formal notices and memoranda
3. Continuing seminars on the subject
4. Special seminar on waste management for violators

EXPECTED OUTPUT: Increased level of awareness on CHOFE (clean, healthy, orderly and friendly environment). Such level is sustained and re-echoed at home and in the community, through the faculty, staff members and students.

TIMETABLE: Implementation: ASAP. Monitoring is continuous. Continuing seminars on waste management at least once a quarter by groups/area.


Module 2 - Waste Segregation Scheme

OBJECTIVE: Promotion of strict waste segregation

RATIONALE: It has been observed that wastes are not being strictly separated in spite of the presence of collecting bins. In accordance with the classification prescribed by MMDA the scheme provides for specific bins for degradable (nabubulok), non-biodegradable (hindi nabubuloc), re-cyclable such as bottles, cans and plastic cups, and a special bin for toxic materials such as laboratory effluent.

ACTIVITIES: First of all a review of waste classification is important. The following are recommended activities under this module.

1. Listing of different wastes generated by typical households and those often found in the school and classifying them accordingly.

2. Demonstration on segregation. If it is a laboratory class, test on the degradability of the material can be demonstrated in class. One method is accelerated composting and segregating those that did not go into decomposition.

3. For the degradable materials, stages of degradation should be explained, based on local and foreign models.

4. Likewise. for materials that are non-biodegradable, the explanation of their resistance to bio-chemical degradation should be explained. This is accompanied by alternative solutions which lead us to another module, that of recycling.

6. On-site hands-on experience is important, with the class participating in a “collection-segregation” exercise.

EXPECTED OUTCOME: Wastes properly segregated accordingly and disposed into bins designated for the purpose. Such attitude is sustained to the level of discipline and as part of Filipino culture.

TIMETABLE: Immediate implementation and must be sustained.

Module 3 - Waste Recycling

OBJECTIVE: To convert and/or recycle wastes and discarded materials into various uses and to generate income from the end products.

RATIONALE: There is a saying, “Waste is something we do not yet know of its use.” The challenge to us then is, “How do we use waste?” Or is it because of our wasteful living that generates a lot of waste? Definitely then, there must be a way to put back waste to something of value,

ACTIVITIES: Here the approach is more than the attendant information campaign on proper collection, segregation and disposal. It is utilizing the waste itself – but only through an appropriate process. This process may be in the form of

a. Composting, i.e. the conversion of organic compounds into elemental forms through bio-chemical process.

b. Re-use, which means that the material is not at all altered, but must undergo thorough cleaning before it is used again. Examples are bottles.

c. Re-cycling refers to a process of recovering, re-melting and re-molding of materials such as metals, fiber, paper, glass, rubber and plastics.

d. Repair, re-furnish and the like refer to putting back old things to look like new or to become functional, such as discarded table, chairs, playthings. It also includes creative conversion of materials into articles of art.

e. Extraction refers to deriving useful materials from wastes such as biogas, ores such as carbon, silica, and gold.

EXPECTED OUTCOME: generation of useful products from wastes: garden compost, segregated and packed paper (whole or shredded), reusable carton, bottles, wood etc.

TIMETABLE: Immediate implementation, continuing project, and by assignment with point person/group.

Module 4 - Socio-Ethical and Aesthetic Aspects of Proper Waste Management

OBJECTIVE: To inculcate the social, ethical and aesthetic aspects of cleanliness and orderliness.

RATIONALE: As a gauge of personality, cleanliness and orderliness are basic to every individual. Sayings such as, “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” and “A starving dog at its master’s gate predicts the ruin of the state,” remind us of this fundamental tenet. Three aspects are the focus of this module, namely:

1. Keeping our relationship with others pleasant and lovable
2. Compliance with the norms of society and the dictate of our conscience
3. Pursuit of aesthetic beauty that emanates from a beautiful surrounding

ACTIVITIES: Three areas will be tapped in this module, namely:

1. Sociology, theology and other related social sciences
2. Humanities (Applied Aesthetic/Introduction to Arts)
3. Euthenics and Health care

Teachings: Human relations, ecological paradigm of salvation (an exploration on the nature of sin and salvation in relation with man’s assault on Nature), health care, personality development ion relation to current issues on waste management, pest and disease control, etc. On-campus projects, projects visitation, summer camp, institutional rural/marginal community service (part of CEP), are suggested activities in this module.

EXPECTED OUTCOME: Highly enlightened students socially, spiritually and aesthetically.

TIMETABLE: Classroom instruction and campus activities ASAP. Institutional community service on pilot basis.

SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES

1. Confiscation of ID of violators. Violator attends refresher seminar of waste management. (See attached Procedure)

2. Research on the new implementation of the zero waste management schemes shall be accredited as research output of the faculty member/s and/or students concerned.

3. Composting on campus is limited only to plant residues, and does not include food waste and the like, in order to prevent the spread of pest and diseases, obnoxious gas notwithstanding.

4. A review of the present composting method is important to determine its effectiveness. Low tech in composting shall be maintained as long as it is efficient.

5. Every teacher must see to it that at the start and end of his/her class the classroom is clean and in proper order.

6. There are occasions the presence of “authority” is needed, such as lunchtime, sundo time at the bus stop, and during special activities such as sports fest and fairs. Your presence is important.

7. Publication of articles and special issue on waste management in the school paper , and both student papers papers.

8. Participation in special occasions about the environment such as Earth Day, Environment Week, Health Week.

9. Reward system as applied to deserving students, organizations, staff and faculty for implementing the program.

10. Exchange program with member-schools in the area.~

Living with Nature, AVR

1 comment:

Unknown said...

very simple and systematic approach.