EMB-7 Gives Firm Ultimatumin Waste Dumping

The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-7 gave a facility a 45 day ultimatum to comply with the necessary permits and requirements set by the bureau or face stiff sanctions on a daily basis.

The EMB gave GBox Corrugated Packaging 45 days to comply with the requirements, including the construction of a waste water treatment facility and a corresponding discharge permit to be allowed to continue to operate.

The firm is an establishment that manufactured corrugated pads, wooden pallets and material handling equipment such as hand pallet truck and rental of electric kettle.

This came as the outcome of the Technical Conference held last January 24 at the EMB-7 Office, one which was attended by the management of the GBox Corrugated Packaging and EMB-7 Officials.

It may be recalled that GBox Corrugated Packaging was caught on video dumping red colored wastewater directly into the sea. The incident has long become viral on social media.

As per investigation, the said wastewater was generated from their inking and labelling area.

According to the firm’s owner, the wastewater was actually rainwater. Since the establishment does not have drainage system, rainwater accumulates in their premises. Thus, they accordingly have to pump out the water to the sea.

The red color indicates that the rainwater was contaminated with water-based waste ink composed of organic pigments, acrylic resins, alcohol, water and additives.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) immedialtely ordered GBox to stop the discharge of hazardous waste-contaminated wastewater with a Cease and Desist Order (CDO) as their action has posed immediate threat to life, public health, safety or welfare, or to animal or plant life.

DENR also later found that the wastewater pumped out to the sea was way up the standards for effluent as stipulated in the DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 2016-08.

Based on DENR EMB-7 records, GBox operated without valid Discharge Permit, Permit to Operate, and Hazardous Waste Generator Registration, thus violating many Philippine environmental laws.

After the technical conference, the EMB ordered GBox to construct a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) with proper segregation, containers and labelling, a Hazardous Waste Generator and to acquire the services of an EMB-accredited Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facility to take care of their stored hazardous ink wastes.

Failure to comply with the foregoing commitments will compel the Bureau to impose a penalty amounting to P 10,000 per day of violation.

EMB-7 Director William Cuñado stressed that all establishments will always follow the mandate of the DENR to avoid problems in the future.

“Let us all be reminded that balance in the economic growth and environmental management should always be the priority as to avoid problems in the operations,“ said Cuñado.

Continuous monitoring will be conducted by EMB 7 to the operations of the said establishment, Cunado said. (jsme/PIA7-Cebu/EMB-7)