‘Turn rotting fish into sweet-smelling fertilizer’

INSTEAD of burying the rotting fish in Batangas and Pangasinan, a local waste and pollution watchdog suggested that the hundreds of tons of bangus be turned into organic fertilizers.


The EcoWaste Coalition (EcoWaste) said the rotting bangus, that the national and local governments have difficulty disposing could be converted into sweet-smelling, nutrient-rich fertilizers farmers need to boost plant growth and yield.


“We’re confident that the country’s agriculture experts would be able to guide local governments in selecting the most suitable composting system for the enormous fishkill discards, including botcha fish seized from traders,” he added.


According to a June 4 update by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), a total of 108 fish cages were affected by the fishkill in barangays Catubig and Culang, in Bolinao and in barangays Awag, Mal-ong, Narra and Siapar in Anda, all in Pangasinan, with losses estimated at P 40,710,300.00.


The NDRMMC also reported that 360 fish cages were affected in the towns of Agoncillo, Laurel, San Nicolas and Talisay, all in Batangas, and in the open waters of Alitagtag, Cuenca and Santa Teresita, all in Batangas, with approximate losses up to P142,530,000.00.


Fishkill episodes were also detected on Sunday in Lipa City and Mataas na Kahoy, also in Batangas.


Citing information from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the EcoWaste Coalition said windrow composting may provide an effective option for the disposal of large numbers of dead fish.


Windrow composting is a method characterized by the piling of biodegradable discards, such as garden and farm waste and animal manure, in long rows or windrows.


According to the USGS biological information and technology notes, windrow composting offers several advantages, including the ability to dispose all the dead fish at once, contain carcasses and pathogens, and avoid the production of leachate.


“A large-scale composting operation that is properly designed and managed provides an excellent waste management alternative to traditional waste disposal,” the USGS said.


“The finished compost is an excellent source of nitrogen that is immediately available to crops, providing additional benefits,” it added.

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EcoWaste coalition pushes composting of fish carcasses

As coastal communities in Batangas and Pangasinan struggle to clear their areas of rotting fish from the recent fish kill incidents, an environmental watchdog asked the authorities not to just bury the dead fish, but to compost them instead.

The EcoWaste Coalition on Tuesday urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to assist local government units (LGUs) to turn the stinking fish trash into sweet-smelling, nutrient-rich bio-fertilizers.

“As impacted LGUs and communities wrestle with tons of decomposing fish in cages and those along the shores, we urge the DA to turn the massive fish kill into an opportunity to produce compost that can be used by our farmers to enrich depleted soils,” said organic farming advocate Bernie Aragoza of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Task Force on Ecological Agriculture.

“We’re confident that our agriculture experts would be able to guide LGUs in selecting the most suitable composting system for the enormous fish kill discards, including 'botcha' fish seized from traders,” he added.

According to a June 4 update by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), a total of 108 fish cages were affected by the fish kill in Barangays Catubig and Culang, in Bolinao and in Barangays Awag, Mal-ong, Narra and Siapar in Anda, Pangasinan, with losses estimated at P40,710,300.

The NDRMMC also reported that 360 units of fish cages were affected in the municipalities of Agoncillo, Laurel, San Nicolas and Talisay, Batangas, and in the open water of Alitagtag, Cuenca and Santa Teresita, Batangas, with approximate losses up to P142,530,000.

Fish kill episodes were also detected last Sunday in Lipa City and the municipality of Mataas na Kahoy, also in Batangas.

Citing information from the United State Geological Survey (USGS), the EcoWaste Coalition said that windrow composting may provide an effective option for the disposal of large numbers of dead fish from the various incidents.

USGS is a science organization that collects, monitors, analyzes, and provides scientific understanding about natural resource conditions, issues, and problems.

Windrow composting is a composting method characterized by the piling of biodegradable discards such as garden and farm waste and animal manure in long rows or windrows.

According to the USGS biological information and technology notes, windrow composting offers several advantages including the ability to dispose all the dead fish at once, contain carcasses and pathogens, and avoid the production of leachate.

“A large-scale composting operation that is properly designed and managed provides an excellent waste management alternative to traditional waste disposal,” the USGS said.

“The finished compost is an excellent source of nitrogen that is immediately available to crops, providing additional benefits,” it also said.

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GROUP INTRODUCES ‘PRIMER’ FOR IMPROVED HEALTH SERVICES

“In improving health care services, lawmakers today must also consider environmental safety,” said Merci Ferrer, Health Care Without Harm-Southeast Asia (HCWH-SEA) Executive Director.



This is in response to the news on 61 local bills promoting national health services approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives. Included in the approved bills are establishment of municipal hospitals, increasing bed capacity, and upgrading and modernizing hospitals.



“We welcome and laud this move by our lawmakers. Improvements in hospital services will redound to people’s health, especially so if these are for hospitals or clinics in the far-flung areas of the country where hospital services are either very limited or scarce,” said Ferrer. “But we’d like to remind our lawmakers, hospital administrators and health officials that in all these improvements, we need to make sure that the hospitals are not contributing to environmental pollution.”



The group recommends a PRIMER for providing quality health services.



Proper waste segregation – Each hospital need a dedicated waste management committee1 that will see to it that wastes are properly segregated and placed in its proper bins. “Waste segregation can help in lessening the volume of wastes produced in each hospital,” said Ferrer. “They also need to make sure that the infectious and pathological wastes are properly treated thru autoclave, microwave2 and other non-burn systems before disposal.”



Recycling program – Each hospitals should also have recycling programs for used items such as boxes, bottles and papers. Based on HCWH’s study, about 85% of the total hospital wastes are like regular household wastes that maybe recycled. Composting area on the other hand may be provided for food wastes from the kitchen. The compost may be used for plants around the hospitals or may even be sold. Recycling and composting programs can generate income for the hospitals.



In-house food production – Hospitals should consider serving food which are locally produced in the community than food from big establishments that are often laden with pesticides. These are healthier for patients and hospital workers alike. It saves cost in transporting food as well as supports livelihood of local farmers.



Mercury-free – Our hospitals should also be mercury-free. In 2008, the Department of Health (DoH) ordered the phase-out of mercury devices by September 2010. “With this Administrative Order, improved health services should now mean the use of mercury-free medical devices,” said Ferrer.



Efficient use of alternative materials which are non-toxic and environmentally friendly– “Such as using recycled papers or fabric instead of tarpaulin for event announcements in hospitals,” she added. A good example of alternative materials on the other hand is using tetrapacks as insulators instead of the regular expensive insulators. “This allows hospitals to re-use materials that would otherwise be discarded.”



Renewable and alternative energy – The group likewise is pushing for use of renewable and alternative energy generation such as solar or wind energy. This can be used for lighting, generation or pumping of water to the facilities. It is likewise wise for health care facilities to do small measures towards less and efficient use of energy by using compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or better yet Light Emitting Diodes (LED) as CFLs are mercury-containing and may be a cause of mercury pollution when not properly handled. Turning down the air conditioner during cooler days, turning off and unplugging equipments when not in use are other measures that will go a long way in saving energy usage in the hospitals. Having bigger windows so light and wind may freely enter must also be considered, as well as having plants within and outside of the hospital premises.



“These are measures that are easy to implement, all it needs is a commitment and the will to do things properly,” said Ferrer. “We hope that PRIMER will be incorporated in the improvements that the health sector wants to provide to the people.”

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