A Sustainable Approach to the Remediation of the Payatas Disposal Facility in Metro Manila, Philippines

Abstract

AbstractThe municipal solid waste management crisis facing the Payatas disposal facility in Metro Manila, Philippines underscores the urgent need for sustainable solutions to address leachate contamination, the geotechnical instability of the dumpsite, landfill gas generation and the safety and health of facility workers and residents. A team of environmental engineers selected the site as a design project for the Mondialogo Worldwide Engineering Award and identified the following engineering solutions suitable for the remediation of the dumpsite: slope reinforcement anchors, soil-bentonite vertical impermeable barriers, an impermeable dumpsite cap, a perimeter drainage system, a leachate recirculation system, a facultative lagoon and constructed wetland system, a methane gas collection and power generation system, and a materials recovery facility. The proposed management system and financial remediation strategy requires the local government to spearhead the programme with funding to be derived from international loans and grants. It is recommended that the energy recovery component of the project be funded under the clean development mechanism, in which the certified emissions reductions (CERs) generated may be used to offset the capital outlay for the retrofitting of the engineering solutions and continuance of the remediation programme. The proposed remediation programme addresses the Millennium Development Goals set by the Philippine government relating to protection of the environment, improvement of health and sanitation, and the enhancement of energy services and community income sharing gained from surplus CERs.