CHAPTER VII

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND MANAGEMENT

Lesson 7.1 The Environment

Environment refers to the complex physical, chemical and biotic factors outside an individual
necessary for progress and development. Studies and experiences clearly manifest that abuse of the
environment causes tremendous effect and changes in climate brought about by abuse and misuse of the
environment. Although most of the things that belong to the environment and its natural resources are
given to man as free its abuse has become a global concern due to global warming, pollution and other
hazards that pose a threat to man’s existence. The effect is alarming and causes devastating effect to man’s
survival.

A. Environment and Ecosystem

1. Basic concepts in Environment
a. Interdependence or interconnectedness
Everything in this world is related and interdependent with one another. The use and abuse of
one will greatly affect each other causing imbalance and threat to the environment. In the
utilization of the environment man needs to be wary in order to maintain equilibrium.

b. Diversity and Stability

Diversity and plurality creates and promotes environmental stability. Science explains the cycle
of life and the indispensable necessity of variance in creation. This explains the theory of
symbiosis wherein things are necessary and exigent in the maintenance of the existence of
another.

c. Change
“The process of change is the only thing that is permanent in the world.” Change is constant and
its effect in the ecological system is disturbing reason for governments of different countries to
enact laws that safeguard and protect the environment. Such program was manifested through
the establishment of different animal sanctuaries to protect the endangered species from
extinction.

d. Balance of Nature
Nature has its own way of replenishing and maintaining itself. The activity of man should be in
conformity with the laws of nature to maintain its capability of equilibrium. Governments should
enact stricter laws and higher penalties for violators of environmental protection. Companies
who dispose pollutants, toxic and hazardous wastes should not be given permit to operate to
enhance the maintaining aspect of nature.

e. Finiteness of Resource
Everything which has beginning has its end. Natural resources though abundant and have
replenishing capabilities can be depleted when abused and over exploited. Observation and
lessons from history tell us that man uses up more than the coping power of nature causing great
calamities and disasters. Today the water level is going deeper and deeper as our forests are
losing trees. The need to balance and refurbish what we used up to maintain the balance of our
ecosystem is urgent. Scientists and experts are worried that global warming will turn more ice in
the North and South Poles causing great floods that will endanger the earth.

f. Material Cycle
“The waste you throw will return a greater waste to you,” was the message of a TV ad regarding
environmental protection. Degradable materials can be utilized as organic fertilizers and other
non-degradable materials can be recycled in order to curtail the excessive depletion of natural
resources. Material cycle gives us a better understanding that everything must go somewhere.
 Man and animals emit carbon dioxide to keep other living things survive and plants give off
oxygen for the maintenance of animal life. Pollution poses grave threat and danger to the
material cycle and is hazardous to every living being. People especially those charge with
industrialization, progress and development should see to it that they are done in congruence with
nature and man’s survival.

g. Carrying Capacity
The world seems to be getting smaller and smaller everyday. Population increases tremendously
and the area of food production are getting smaller due to housing demand and places for leisure
and fun, result of which is lower food production and sky rise of prices of goods and
commodities. More and more agricultural lands are converted into industrial and economic
usage causing shortage of food supply. When real needs over wants, pleasure and desire prevail
and population continues to grow the earth as habitat of life-form will cease to be as it should be.
We can reclaim part of the sea to expand the land coverage but we cannot expand the size of the
world. The earth has its carrying capacity and food supply capacity, turning more area into
economic and business zones will decrease area of food production posing threat to the future
generation.

h. Cooperation
The need for greater cooperation in safeguarding the natural resources and the environment is
a work of everybody. The preservation of the natural resources and environment is everybody’s
concern and responsibility. No matter how strict the laws that are enacted concerning the safeguard
of the environment are if people do not do their part and contribution, come will the time when only
the affluent survive. Laws and movements in safeguarding the ecosystem and the natural resources
should be a battle cry everybody must fight to make this world last for longer years.

i. Stewardship
Psalm 8 beautifully describes what man is and his duty and responsibility. “Man is made little
less than a God, crowned with honor and glory placing all things under his feet.” God gave
everything as free and man was charged with the responsibility as steward and caretaker. Yet greed
and the love of things made man desire for more, clothing himself with so much authority and power
and become master of what he is supposed to oversee.

2. Basic environmental principles

a. Nature knows best
b. All forms of life are important
c. Everything is connected to everything else
d. Everything changes
e. Everything must go somewhere
f. Ours is a finite earth
g. Nature is beautiful and we are stewards of God’s creation

B. Environmental Management

Solid Waste problem remains the most controversial environmental and pressing problem of every
society. According to study the volume of waste of a person in Metro Manila is approximately 0.6 kg of
garbage per day which amounts to a total amount of about 6,000 to 7,000 tons of garbage per day.
Despite the fact that not of all of this can be collected by the municipal collection system, people seem to
be unconcerned with the amount of solid and semi-solid waste they produce and even more unconcerned
of health and environment problems posed by this current situation.

Most people have the mistaken notion that proper garbage collection is the magic solution to our
waste problem. Unfortunately, simple disposal is not the most sufficient answer to this concern. On
the contrary, the best solution lies in the reduction of waste at source and segregating both wet and dry
garbage, or into biodegradable and non-biodegradable or residual garbage. This means that first and
 foremost, we should consider how much waste is generated and where we can reduce if not eliminate the
production of waste altogether. Secondly, we should consider how much waste we produce can be
diverted from final disposal into other usable recycled products.

1. Definition of Terms
a. Biodegradable – any material that can be broken down naturally by occurring organism such as
bacteria and fungi in air, water, and soil.
b. Compost – decayed organic material for use as soil conditioner or fertilized.
c. Composting – biological degradation under controlled conditions.
d. Domestic Waste – refuse from households, as distinguished from industrial waste, agricultural
waste, hospital waste, etc. which maybe classified as biodegradable.
e. Food materials – include certain kinds of seeds, pulp, peelings, pickles, sweets or candies or
snacks.
f. Hazardous waste – special types of waste containing the chemical, biological, radioactive
elements which are harmful to human health.
g. Incineration – the controlled process by which combustible wastes are burned and changed into
gases and residues that contain little or no combustible materials.
h. Non-biodegradable – any material that cannot be degraded or decomposed by naturally-
occurring-organisms such as bacteria in air, water, and soil.
i. Putrescible – a substance that decomposes at a certain temperature in contact with air and
moisture; generally containing nitrogen.
j. Recycling – the re-use, retrieval, recommission of element/matter for any and all purposes
necessary to healthful and productive living; the process by which waste materials are
transformed into new products in such a manner that the original products may lose their identity.
k. Solid waste – includes anything thrown away, such as garbage, rubbish, trash, litter, junk and
refuse of any source.

2. Sources and types of Solid Waste

Source Facility Type of Waste

Domestic Single family dwelling, Food, paper, packaging, glass,
Multifamily dwelling, low, metals, ashes, bulky
medium and high-rise household waste, hazardous
apartments household waste
Commercial Shops, restaurants, markets, Food, paper, packaging, glass,
buildings hotels and motels, metals, ashes, bulky
institution household waste, hazardous
household waste
Industrial Fabrication, light and heavy Industrial process waste,
manufacturing, refineries, metals, lumbers, plastic oils,
chemical plants, mining, hazardous waste
power generation
Construction and Demolition Soil, concrete, timber, steel,
plastic, glass, vegetation
Agricultural Waste Pesticides, farm wastes

Table 2. Physical Composition of Solid Waste

General Composition Typical Composition Detailed Composition
Organic Food putrescibles Food, Vegetables
Paper and cardboard Paper, cardboard
Plastic Polyethylene terephitalate
(PETE)
High-density polyethylene
(LDPE)
 Polypropelene (PP)
Polystyrene (PS)
Other multiplayer plastics
Clothing/Fabric Textiles, Carpets, Rubber,
Leather
Yard waste Garden Trimmings
Wood
Inorganic Metals Tin cans, Ferrous metals,
Aluminum, non-ferrous metals
Glass Colorless
Colored
Dirt, Ash, etc. Dirt, screening
Ashes, Stone, Bricks
Unclassified Bulky Items

3. Classification of Solid Wastes

Solid wastes are wastes arising from human and animal activities that are normally solid and
discarded as useless or unwanted. They are classified according to point of origin and nature of
materials. Solid Wastes includes things we commonly describe as garbage, refuse and trash. In the
domestic environment solid waste includes paper, plastics, food wastes ash, etc. In industries, paper,
packaging, timber and plastic containers make up the bulk of solid wastes in addition to liquid-solid
sludge from wastewater plants.

a. Classification of Solid Waste

According Point of Origin
1) Domestic
2) Commercial
3) Industrial
4) Street
5) Institutional
6) Demolition or
construction
7) Agricultural
b. Solid Waste according to Nature of
Material – physical composition
1) Organic
2) Inorganic
3) Combustible
4) Non-combustible

3. Integrated Solid Waste Management

It is the selection of combination of techniques, technologies and management programs to achieve waste
management objectives.

a. Source Reduction and Waste Minimization – means reducing the amount that is generated at
the following sources:
1) production units for food and household products
2) production units for commercial products
3) shopping outlets/household
4) offices, commercial properties and institutions

b. Recycling and Reuse

 Reduction at source will proportionately reduce the amount of waste that must be managed and
will indirectly conserve our vital natural resources. This can be achieved by segregation of wastes
into:

1) Compostable/biodegradable: Kitchen wastes, garden wastes, animal wastes, human wastes

2) Recyclable non-biodegradable: Metals, rubber, dry paper/cartons, cloth/dry processed fiber,
leather, hard shells, plastic containers
3) Non-recyclable residual waste: Sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, worn-out clothes, PVC,
ceramics, composite packaging, candy wrappers/sachets, squeezable bottles
4) Special waste – spray canisters, tires, radios, stereos and other broken appliances
5) Hazardous waste – Paints, thinners, batteries, petroleum products, pesticides. They have to
be separated from the other waste because mixing them can cause explosion or poisonous
chemical reactions. Even different brands of the same product may contain incompatible
ingredients that may react when mixed together.

Application of this strategy will decrease the weight and volume of packaging materials and
promote the use and re-use of containers such as returnable bottles.

c. Waste Transformation
Composting is a process where micro-organisms in an oxygen environment decompose
biodegradable organic materials such as food waste, fruit peelings, plant debris and other cellulosic
materials. This can be done through aerobic and anaerobic methods.

Compost is a humus-like material that results from the aerobic biological stabilization of the
organic materials in solid waste. Its operations of solid wastes include preparing refuse and
degrading organic matter by aerobic microorganisms. Refuse is presorted, to remove materials that
might have salvage value or cannot be composted, and is ground to improve the efficiency of the
decomposition process. This then can be both a soil conditioner and a fertilizer for flowerbeds,
vegetable gardens, lawns and for planting new trees or shrubs. There are three kinds of composting
namely aerobic, anaerobic and vermicomposting.

 Aerobic Composting – the compost pile passes through the different stages. A warming – up
stage from 40*C to 60*C until it reaches its peak at 73*C and a cooling down period, a return
to 40*C to 45*C, once steam is released, the process is complete. We have to turn the piles at
least once or twice a month to provide the air needed in the decomposition. Sprinkling
enough water on the compost is another very important thing to remember.
 Anaerobic (without air) composting is a static method of composting. You throw the
biodegradable wastes into the compost heap and allow some time for decomposition to begin.
Since there is no air circulating in the pile, a strong ammonia-type smell is emitted from the
pile. You probably have noticed this smell in a bag of wet grass that has been sitting for a
few days. This smell can be very strong. It is therefore a good idea to have a solid plastic
container with a light-fitting lid to keep the smell contained. Sawdust or kusot will help cut
the smell when it gets too “ripe”. This method of composting involves almost no work. Dig
a hole eighteen inches deep into the ground prior to placing the plastic container on the soil.
Earthy compost is never really achieved with this method; instead a rich muck that can be
dug into the garden is the end result.
 Vermicomposting contains not only worm castings, but also bedding materials and organic
wastes at various stages of decomposition. It also contains worms at various stages of
development and other microorganisms associated with the composting processing.

How to make Compost

The process of composting utilizes biodegradable wastes from the kitchen and garden.
Microorganisms like fungi and bacteria helps in the decomposition process. The following are the
steps on how to make compost.
1. Reduce the biodegradable wastes into finer portions to make decomposition process faster.
 2. Place it in a compost pit or to the different composters such as tire towers, clay pot composters,
plastic bags etc. as discussed below. Burning on top of the piles should be avoided because it
will kill the decomposers and therefore delay the composting process.
3. Small amount of water should be added to hasten the microbiological activity.
4. Add a layer of soil on top to control the odor and prevent waste matter from attracting other small
animals like the insects.
5. With the use of spade turn the pile at least once or twice a month to provide the needed air to
hasten the composting process.
6. Always check the consistency of the pile if it is already dark and soil-like which indicates that it
is ready for use.

Types of Composters:
1. Twin pits – Dig two 1-meter pits that are a meter deep and half meter apart. Small twigs at the
bottom are placed and a hollow tube is inserted at the center as an air inlet.
2. Tire towers – Two piles of old car tires are used as containers for composting. Aeration is done
by inserting between the tires. If placed directly on cemented ground, the bottom is lined with
soil first.
3. Bottomless composters – Old drums, cans plastic water containers and even old jute or rice sacks
can be used. The bottoms are removed from these containers. For sacks, the bottom is ripped off
seam and supported with three posts or pegs.
4. Clay pot composters – 10 flower pots are used in alternately by turns. By the time the tenth pot
is full, in about a month’s time, the first pot will be ready to use.
5. Plastic bag composters- plastic bags are lined with soil. A layer of chopped biodegradable waste
are placed into the bag then topped with soil or leaves. Layering is continued until the bag is full.
The contents of each are moistened before stacking them one atop another.
Compost bins – these may be constructed from chicken wire or any durable basket material. They
are designed to adequately accommodate the necessary ingredients and also to allow access of air.

d. Land fill

Sanitary landfill is the cheapest satisfactory means of disposal, but only if suitable land is within
economic range of the source of the waste.

There are three types of sanitary landfills:

1) Trench Method – is first excavated, its base and sides being properly lined. Waste is then
spread and compacted in an excavation. The cover material used comes from the excavated
soil. This is best suited for flat or gently sloping land where the ground water table is deep
below the surface.
2) Area Method – the waste is spread and compacted on the natural surface of the ground and
cover material is spread and compacted over it. The are method is beat suited for flat or
gently sloping landsite where no natural slope exists. IT can be adapted, to ravines, valleys,
quarries, abandoned strip mines or other land depressions.
3) Ramp method – is a combination/variation of the area and trenching techniques. Waste is
spread and compacted on an existing slope. Cover material is existing directly in front of the
working face and then spread over the waste and compacted. The excavated area thus
becomes a part of the cell to be worked the following day.

4. Hazardous wastes
Hazardous wastes are solid wastes or a combination of solid waste which identity, concentration of
physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics. :

a. Characteristics of Hazardous Waste

1) Ignitable – the substance
causes and enhances fires
 2) Corrosive – the substance
destroys tissues or metals
3) Reactive – the substance is
a danger to health, water, food and air
b. Hazardous Waste Management – a
comprehensive and integrated management of toxic substances and hazardous wastes which
adheres to the waste management hierarchy of source reduction, recycling, treatment and safe
disposal for the protection of personnel, environment and property.
c. The Three (3) Main Goals of
Hazardous Waste Management:
1) Protection of the environment
2) Improvement of public health
3) Conservation of energy
Worksheet
Environmental Education and Management

Name:____________________ Course & Year:_________

I. True or False. Write T if the statement is correct and F if the statement is wrong.
_______1. Residual wastes such as sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, worn-out
clothes, ceramics, sachets and squeezable bottles are recyclable
_______2. Unsanitary, odorous and unpleasant surroundings are
sometimes due to improper waste disposal.
_______3. Biodegradable solid wastes should be separated from non- biodegradable solid
wastes.
_______4. We can generate money in recycling.
_______5. Styrofoam and inorganic chemicals are biodegradable solid wastes.
_______6. Burning solid wastes results to air pollution.
_______7. Solid waste disposal is the concern of everyone.
_______8. Rotten fruits, leaves, paper animal waste and dead animals are biodegradable
wastes.
_______9. Solid wastes are aesthetic disasters.
_______10. Solid wastes which are thrown to waterways can cause flooding.
_______11. Household wastes which are properly disposed keep the family away from
disease carrying organisms.
_______12. Patronizing recycled materials is environment friendly.
_______14. Solid wastes can all be recycled.
_______15. Compost pit is a good place to keep plastics, glasses, cans, metals and other
non-biodegradable wastes..

II. What are the solid waste management practices in your respective homes?

III. As a CWTS student, what can you do to help preserve and protect the environment?

IV. What are the programs/projects in your barangay which are geared
towards protecting the environment.

V. What are the effects of environmental destruction on the people’s lives?

VI. Write an essay about the Mother Earth 20 Years From Now. . . .

Suggested Activities:
1. Look on the garbage/trash can in your classroom.
2. Empty the garbage onto some opened newspaper on the floor and segregate. Determine which
type of waste has the biggest volume. With reference to the solid waste being examined, discuss
among yourselves the following:
a. What can still be done to make further use of the waste?
b. What is the best method of disposing waste?
c. What can be done to minimize waste?