ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) opposed proposals to amend the Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, which would have paved the way for local government units to adopt waste-to-energy incineration projects.
In a statement on Wednesday, IDIS said the move, which was floated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), is a “dangerous step backward” and undermines environmental protection, public health, and climate responsibility.
The group stressed RA 9003 has never been fully or faithfully implemented, and amending it now without ensuring its full implementation is both “premature and misleading.”
The mandate of RA 9003 was to shift the country away from disposal-oriented, end-of-pipe solutions and toward sustainable practices, such as waste reduction, segregation at source, reuse, recycling, and composting.
But, even in the ground, barangay-level segregation, the establishment of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF), waste reduction at source, composting, and recycling, remain largely neglected in many areas.
“The persistent failures in solid waste management that the DENR itself acknowledges are not failures of the law. They are failures of implementation, political will, and accountability, particularly at the level of local government units,” the group stressed.
Allowing incineration, it added, is a false solution to a governance failure.
IDIS cited that a large portion of waste in the country is biodegradable, which cannot be meaningfully used in incineration but instead should be managed through composting and diversion strategies.
“Instead of addressing the root causes of the waste crisis, such as weak enforcement, lack of political will, underfunded local systems, and poor accountability, incineration merely treats waste symptoms while locking communities into expensive, centralized, and environmentally risky infrastructure,” it stressed.
The group stated that even modern incineration technologies generate toxic emissions, hazardous ash, and long‑term health threats, which violates and counters the Clean Air Act’s explicit prohibition of polluting incineration.
It maintained that there are gaps, highlighting the urgent need to fully implement RA 9003, rather than amending it.
The group cited that DENR and the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) have not yet published a comprehensive list of Non‑Environmentally Acceptable Products (NEAPs) as required under the act.
The NEAPs are a regulatory tool meant to phase out environmentally harmful products and packaging. which is critical to making the law fully operational.
The group added that DENR data itself shows that thousands of barangay-level MRFs are non-existent, and waste segregation and diversion remain weak.
“Amending the law without exhausting its existing, proven solutions undermines the very purpose of the law. The problem is not that the law is outdated. The problem is that it was never properly carried out,” it stressed.
IDIS said investing public funds in incineration would divert resources away from proven, low-cost, community-based solutions, such as waste reduction programs, composting systems, and support for the recycling sector.
The group pointed out that incineration threatens the livelihood of informal waste workers by reducing recyclable materials and centralizing waste management in capital-intensive facilities controlled by private operators.
“A truly just transition in waste management must strengthen, not displace waste workers through formalization, better working conditions, and inclusive zero-waste systems,” it stressed.
IDIS cited the tragic landfill collapse in Cebu City as a wake-up call for stricter enforcement, better planning, and strong oversight, and not as a justification for opening the door to incineration.
The group calledon the DENR, lawmakers, and local governments to defend the incineration ban under RA 9003 and Clean Air Act, prioritize the full and faithful implementation of ecological solid waste management, publish and enforce the NEAP list mandated under RA 9003, invest in zero-waste, climate-safe, and community-based solutions, and protect the health, livelihoods, and rights of communities and waste workers.
“Incineration is not progress. Ecological and people-centered waste management is,” the group said.
