- Advertisement -As International Zero Waste Month draws to a close, environmental NGO, BAN Toxics, has urged the Philippine government to abandon plans to pursue waste-to-energy (WTE) as a solution to the country’s escalating waste problem. RA 9003 was the first law she signed as president. Citing a biomonitoring study by Zero Waste Europe from 2023–2024, Lorenzo said that even the most advanced waste incineration technologies emit unintentionally produced POPs, such as dioxins and furans. He also noted that WTE facilities prefer dry, inorganic waste such as plastics due to its high energy content. BAN Toxics stresses the need for a fundamental shift from fragmented, “end-of-pipe” waste disposal to integrated, sustainable, and holistic approaches.