The term "waste" is a uniquely human invention. In nature, where everything plays a part in the ecological cycle, waste is a foreign concept. The human perception of waste as useless material to be discarded or forgotten about is contrary to the most basic laws of nature. To make matters worse, methods of solid waste disposal have often had extremely harmful effects on the environment.Presently, most solid waste is buried in landfill sites. Solid waste disposed in these sites prevent materials from re-entering the ecological cycle, rendering them completely useless. These sites destroy the local environment, and contaminate drinking water. In many urban centers, these high demands force cities to continuously export solid waste to greater and greater distances, increasing energy expenditures and destroying many other environments.The other conventional solution to solid waste disposal is incineration. This reduces the mass of the waste by 75%, with the remaining 25% usually disposed in landfills. However, the 25% remaining ash residue retains heavy metals and toxins, now in concentrated forms. Furthermore, the burning of the waste releases enormous amounts of toxic gases into the atmosphere, polluting the air, contributing to the greenhouse effect, and creating acid rain. However, because of the Clean Air Act, incinerators are no longer an option.Sewage disposal presents another problem. Currently, the primary method of disposal involves separating the water from the sewage, treating the sewage in mechanized treatment plants and disposing it into the nearest large body of water. With moderate population levels, large bodies of water can generally absorb the waste, using many of the present nutrients without harmful effect. However, with the high densities and populations of our modern cities, the dumping of sewage, even treated sewage, has created serious damage to local bodies of water. Inordinate amounts of harmful bacteria and oxygen depletion, created by the sewage erode water quality and destroy much of the aquatic life in these areas.Waste disposal must be rethought, our disposable society and its',"out of sight, out of mind," mentality is not an option anymore. The goals of sustainable waste management therefore, are to minimize the generation of waste while maximizing the ability to reuse and recycle it. The basic strategies in sustainable waste management involve, composting and recycling, and biological sewage treatment.In light of this, accommodation establishments such as hotels, which host our tourists and their accompanying wastes must be aware of these waste problems. They too are producers of the over all waste problem of our country and must be responsible for the proper disposal or management of them. In this section, we will discuss how hotels manage their solid and semi-solid waste by primary means of segregation. We will also discuss the existing laws of the Philippines with regards to waste management and its implementation. And lastly, we will give you a crash course on septic tanks and sewage treatment plants to understand its' role and importance in managing our liquid wastes.
