The Solid Waste Management Board of Pototan has endorsed a proposed municipal ordinance that advances a circular economy and zero-waste framework, ensuring compliance with Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act No. 9003) and Extended Producer Responsibility Act (Republic Act No. 11898).
Chaired by Municipal Mayor Rafael Enrique Lazaro, the Solid Waste Management Board reviewed and approved the draft legislation that will enforce mandatory waste reduction, segregation at source, resource recovery, and responsible disposal across all sectors, including households, barangay units, businesses, commercial enterprises, and industrial establishments. Following SWMB’s endorsement, the draft ordinance will be presented to the Sangguniang Bayan for deliberation and passage.
Aspiring to become a Zero Waste Municipality, the draft provisions establish a circular framework for solid waste management that prioritizes the waste hierarchy—preventing and reducing waste at source, reusing materials, recycling, composting and recovering resources, leaving disposal as the final option.
“Segregation at source is the most crucial step toward a circular economy. It begins by instilling household discipline and changing behaviors through public education,’ Mayor Lazaro said.
A groundbreaking provision in the draft ordinance is the integration of informal waste workers into the municipality’s solid waste management system. By establishing a registry and supporting accreditation, the draft policy will transition informal waste pickers into the formal sector that would guarantee social safeguards, skills building, and sustainable business opportunities.
The initiative is being strengthened through the PH Plastics Circularity Project, implemented by the United Nations Development Program in the Philippines in partnership with The Coca-Cola Foundation, which supports the local government of Pototan in integrating circular economy approaches and inclusive waste management strategies into local policy and planning.