Hazardous waste or material refers to a biological substance that poses a threat to the health of living organisms, primarily that of humans. The severity and fatality of the disease it impose to humans and other living organism depends on the level of the biohazard (Level 1 being minimum risk and level 4 being maximum risk) and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available. Common types of biological hazards includes viruses, medical waste, or toxins that were created by a particular organism or microorganism.

However, there is a lot of hazardous waste material to deal with. That is why here in the country, Republic Act 6969, an act to control toxic substances and hazardous and nuclear wastes, was mandated on October 1990. Not because of the zombie apocalypse scare, but to be responsible with our waste. Or we can also say to lessen the possibility of the occurrence of zombies.

DAO 29 series of 1992 or the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the R.A. 6969 is published 2 years later. A procedural manual for the IRR was released in 2004 under DAO 36 which later revised to further strengthen the implementation of RA 6969 and prescribing the use of the Procedural Manual. It requires all waste generators as well as waste transporters and TSD (Treatment, Storage, and Disposal)  facilities to register with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. For waste generators, a Hazardous Waste Generator’s ID should be acquired from the department. Waste generator means a person who generates or produces hazardous wastes, through any institutional, commercial, industrial or trade activities. The waste transporter on the other hand shall acquire a Permit to Transport for every Waste Generator they will provide service to. During every acquisition of hazardous waste from the generator, a manifest form shall be filled up indicating details of the waste, the waste generator, the waste transporter, and the TSD facility. This is to monitor the hauling activity. The whole activity is also recorded to the quarterly monitoring report which is submitted to the DENR as well. Classification of waste and its corresponding waste number is also included in the Procedural Manual.

There are so many permits to acquire and reports to submit. A pain in the bottom you may say. So why not let somebody else do it for you?

Triple i Consulting will be happy to assist you with any and all of the above concerns and our experienced Environmental Consultants will gladly answer all your questions so you can focus on the business at hand.

By: Ma. Clementina Cachola