Circular economy in sheries: How is sh market

waste managed in the Philippines?

Sheralyn De Ungria
De la Salle University
Lara Therese Fernandez
De la Salle University
Sophia Ellise Sabado
De la Salle University
Jeano Paulo Santos
De la Salle University
Allysa Rose Sararaña
De la Salle University
Chona Camille VinceCruz-Abeledo (  [email protected] )
De la Salle University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5946-8378

Research Article

Keywords: sh waste, solid waste management, circular economy, sustainability, sheries, aquaculture

Posted Date: March 9th, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1413739/v1

License:   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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Abstract
Improper management of sh waste has led to the Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry
Development Plan to declare that Philippine sheries are unsustainable. A considerable portion of sh
waste is produced in wet markets, where bulk of sh products are sold. A comparison of existing
practices in different localities can indicate the best points of intervention and identify existing traditional
practices that can be promoted. This study interviewed sh vendors and shers, and collected
information at the market level, to determine existing sh waste management systems. From the
responses gathered, the average daily production of sh waste in Philippine wet markets was 70.3 ± 65.4
kg, with no signi cant differences across locations (p = 0.2501). Of the sh waste produced, 32.3 ± 43.1
kg per wet market were disposed of, 18.9 ± 23.3 kg were sold, and 19.1 ± 21.9 kg were given away to
stakeholders who re-use the sh waste. A signi cantly greater proportion of sh waste in rural areas were
re-used compared to Metro Manila (p = 0.0311). Incentivizing innovations that maximize the use of
derived sh waste at the municipal level, and promoting existing traditional practices, can prove effective
in contributing to the Philippine circular economy while providing alternative sources of income for the
stakeholders of the sheries industry.

Introduction
A circular economy follows the principle of reducing the usage of raw materials, reusing materials to
create new products, and recycling existing ones; it minimizes hazardous impacts to the environment
without hindering economic growth (Johansson & Henriksson 2020). In the 35,000 tons of municipal
solid waste being generated every day, 15 to 60% of the uncollected waste is found polluting bodies of
water in the Philippines (Camarillo & Bellotindos 2021). Despite the approval of RA 9003 or the
“Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000” that is aimed to institute sustainable development by
creating a comprehensive solid waste management (SWM) program, local government units (LGUs) have
been unable to comply with the standards that the republic act requires (Castillo & Otoma 2013). Due to
improper waste disposal, the Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry Development Plan (CNFIDP)
declared the Philippine sheries and aquaculture industry as unsustainable wherein sh waste, such as
bones, ns, skin, shells, and scales, is one of the causes.

Due to its archipelagic nature, the Philippines is regarded as one of the largest producers of sh, seaweed,
and sheries-related products in the world. The Philippine sheries and the aquaculture industry provides
jobs to an estimated 1.5 million people nationwide and contribute 1.8% to the Gross Domestic Product of
the country (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [FAO] 2014). Unfortunately,
resources in municipal waters have been reported to be over shed and existing mangrove resources
depleted from the growing number of both municipal and commercial shers (Lamarca 2017).

With the growing population, currently estimated at 108.1 million with a mean per capita consumption of
sh and sheries products of 40 kg per year, the demand for sh and its products increases, causing the
competition for the basic needs of aquaculture development to expand together with its resources

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(Dauda et al. 2019). The enlargement of productions and continued aquaculture development are
deemed necessary to accommodate demands but these result in an increase in waste generation through
production systems and existing consumption processes.

The Philippine shing industry’s post-harvest sector is divided into sh utilization and sh markets (FAO
2014). Fish may be consumed as fresh, fermented, dried, smoked, or canned products. In areas where
there is a high demand for good quality and fresh shery products, improved handling methods are
commonly used. Otherwise, by-products are frozen, canned, and converted to value-added products to
minimize sh waste. In sh markets, sh products are sold in traditional landing centers, major sh ports,
wet markets, and supermarkets. The biggest market for these aquaculture products in the Philippines is
Manila where these products are channeled to brokers where substantial trading of marketing channels
happens among the middlemen (Nelson & Marygrace 2007).

Products from sheries that have little to no commercial value are called sh waste, and it has been
estimated that almost 25% of sh waste ends up being discarded which contributes to environmental
harm and loss of products with potential economic value (Caruso 2015). Lopes, Antelo, Franco-Uría,
Alonso, and Pérez-Martín (2015) claim that the re-use and valorization of sh by-products play an
important role in the conservation of marine resources and solutions should be implemented to avoid the
pointless discarding of valuable biomass. Fish waste can be utilized as inputs to existing sheries,
aquaculture, and agriculture practices, and to produce various value-added products from extractable
biomolecules such as proteins, amino acids, and oils (Ghaly et al. 2013).

There is a huge variety of mechanisms to derive value from sh waste and to promote a circular
economy in the Philippine sheries sector. This, however, cannot be applied without an evaluation of how
waste is managed at one of its most waste-generating sectors: the wet markets. Implementation of SWM
plans and prevailing practices at the ground level have not been analyzed, and a comparison of
experiences in different localities can indicate the best points of intervention. Sustainable traditional
practices can also be discovered and promoted for wider use.

This study describes the experiences of sh waste management in Metro Manila and compares them
with those from sheries regions all over the country. It also presents an estimate of the amount of sh
waste generated in the wet markets all over the Philippines, the existing SWM plans being implemented,
and existing practices that convert sh waste into useful products to contribute to the development of a
circular economy.

Methodology
Sampling and Data Collection Methods
Purposive sampling was used in selecting eight wet markets in Metro Manila, with 40 sh vendors who
manage stalls as respondents. Twenty additional rural wet markets were included in the study, which

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provided 620 additional respondents made up of sh vendors and shers (Fig. 1). The names and
speci c locations of the wet markets were not disclosed to protect the privacy of the respondents.

The respondents’ perspectives about the processes of waste disposal, their knowledge of SWM policies,
and possible uses for sh waste byproducts were obtained from interviews and survey questionnaires.
Prior informed consent was given to all respondents following the ethics advice and approval of the
Research Ethics Committee of the De La Salle University, under permit number EXT.008.2018-
2019.T2.COS.

Data regarding the amount of sh waste produced in the markets had to be standardized, as some sh
vendors reported the amount of waste based on the size and number of containers that they used. The
standardization was accomplished by asking nine vendors across three randomly selected sites to
determine the weight of sh waste collected per container. Each container was lled with sh waste
across nine days and the weight of a full container was recorded. The weight of the empty container was
subtracted from the reported values, and their average was computed together with standard deviation.
The amount of sh waste produced per site and the percentage disposed and re-used per site were
compared using ANOVA with subsequent post hoc tests when signi cant differences were found (Blanca
Mena et al. 2017).

Data Analysis Strategy

The Framework Method was the data analysis strategy used for this study (Gale et al. 2013). The data
collected were manually categorized and grouped based on the similarities of the responses. The
organized data were then illustrated into a framework showing the full process of sh waste disposal and
currently practiced valorization methods. The framework was then used for cross-referencing to identify
loopholes in current disposal practices and policies such as where the unused sh waste ends up and
how it is handled.

Results And Discussion

Types of sh waste generated in wet markets
Most of the sh waste produced in the wet market, for both Metro Manila and rural locations, are innards,
gills, and scales (Fig. 2). The responses of the respondents match the same categories that indicate parts
of a dead sh that have little to no commercial value (Ahuja et al. 2020) and are generally classi ed as
“ sh waste” in the sheries industry. Majority of sh vendors produced sh waste every day (96.4%). A
minority claimed to generate considerable sh waste for only three days a week (3.6%), due to less
demand because of the pandemic. This data is consistent with prior reports that indicate wet markets as
the portion of the sheries and aquaculture production line with the most amount of solid waste
generated (Environmental Management Bureau 2016).

Fate of sh waste produced in wet markets

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The average daily production of sh waste in the wet markets included in the study was 70.3 ± 65.4 kg,
with no signi cant differences across locations (p = 0.2501) (Fig. 3). Respondents also provided a variety
of measuring the amount of sh waste generated, from reporting its weight to reporting how many
containers they can ll in a day. The three containers reported were the “timba” or the pail, the “banyera”
or the sh tub, and the “planggana” or the basin. A pail can carry 48.0 ± 1.8 kg of sh waste, while a sh
tub can carry 34.4 ± 1.2 kg, and the basin can carry 20.6 ± 2.4 kg.

Given the amount of sh waste produced, 32.3 ± 43.1 kg on average per wet market was thrown to be
disposed by garbage collectors assigned to the area while 18.9 ± 23.3 kg were sold, and 19.1 ± 21.9 kg
were given away to shers, farmers, and even food concessionaires who re-use the sh waste.
Comparison of the amount of waste disposed and re-used showed signi cant differences (p = 0.0311),
with the values from Manila and Bataan showing signi cantly lower percentage of sh waste re-used
compared to other locations (Fig. 4).

The re-used sh waste is either sold or given away (Fig. 5). It is interesting to note that the higher
valuation of sh waste in locations outside of Metro Manila where it was observed that on average 50.2
± 7.9% of sh waste are actually sold for prices ranging from Php 5–25.00 per kilo (USD 0.01–0.50 per
kilo). Majority of sh waste generated in Metro Manila were given away. Respondents indicate that sh
waste sold or given away were used as feeds or fertilizers by nearby farms or households. Fish heads
and sh innards, on the other hand, were used by some food concessionaires as ingredients for local
cuisine.

The fate of the sh waste in different regions differs because of proximity to industries and practices that
use them as resources. The seven regions outside of Metro Manila have large-scale sh farms that make
use of sh waste as resources (Israel 2004). This is also observed in the valuation of sh waste in areas
outside Metro Manila, where they are treated as actual commodities for sale rather than by-products with
little to no value. Though Metro Manila is close to some of these locations, the respondents were unable
to indicate a service or mechanism to preserve and transport the sh waste to regions that would nd
them useful.

Amongst the recorded alternative uses of sh waste obtained in this study, sh waste can also be used
as sources for biofuels and biopolymer extracts. Two types of animal feed can be reprocessed from sh
waste — sh silage, a wet by-product lique ed by enzymes and acids (Shabani et al. 2018), and sh meal,
a by-product that is minced, cooked, and pressed to separate the solid cake from the liquid phase
(Plazzota & Manzocco 2019). Since sh waste is rich in nutritive soil elements, decomposes rapidly, and
is compatible with organic production systems, sh waste is a suitable material as fertilizer (López-
Mosquera et al. 2011; Illera-Vives et al. 2015). Clothing such as leather can be produced from sh skin, an
ancient tradition practiced by indigenous Arctic groups (Palomino et al. 2019). Through the method of
sh waste conversion with transesteri cation — wherein the biomass reacts with alcohol — a non-toxic,
pollution-free, and biodegradable biofuel can be created (Knothe et al. 2003). Since seafood by-products
are a great source of biopolymers, certain extracts like chitin, chitosan, and collagen can be obtained

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depending on the method of extraction on a speci c type of sh waste (Díez-Pascual 2019). The
methods to extract chitin, chitosan, and collagen include centrifugation, N-deacetylation and
deacetylation, and demineralization, respectively (Korma et al. 2016; Majekodunmi 2016).

This presents an untapped opportunity for the establishment of sh waste processing industries to
support the circular economy for the sheries industry as observed in other countries that treat the same
sh materials as resources rather than waste (Mo et al. 2018; Radziemska et al. 2019; Coppola et al.
2021).

Awareness of solid waste management (SWM) processes

For sh waste that is thrown, responses indicate regular collection by garbage collectors arranged by
either the wet market or the local government units. Only a minority of the respondents were aware of
standard procedures in the placement of waste containers, proper disposal of sh waste, or even
segregation (Fig. 6). When asked about the reason for their lack of awareness, vendors indicate that no
such protocols were being implemented in their markets.

Awareness of proper SWM may be connected to existing sanctions charged by the wet market
authorities. Most of the respondents (84.6%) stated that no penalties were imposed in their wet markets.
For wet markets that gave penalties, these include being ned a nominal amount ranging from Php 500-
1,500.00 (~ USD 10.00–30.00) for violations, or memos that can cause them to be evicted from their
stalls.

SWM methods in these markets correspond to the SWM program under RA 9003 where waste
segregation and collection of solid waste are listed to manage solid waste (Aquino et al. 2013). Aligned
with this is the assistance of LGUs in implementing SWM systems (Castillo & Otoma 2013). The results
of the study, together with trends from developing countries emphasizing the importance of educating the
grassroots on SWM practices, emphasize a need for education programs in wet markets regarding solid
waste.

Conclusion
This study gives a snapshot of the average daily production of sh waste in Philippine wet markets, and
the proportions that are disposed of and re-used. It also developed a method for standardizing the huge
variety of measuring scales for sh waste produced. The signi cantly greater proportion of sh waste re-
used in rural areas shows how the valuation of these materials can change due to proximity to industries
that can use them as resources. This implies an untapped network that can bene t from sh waste in
Metro Manila. Beyond this, other downstream processing can be done to sh waste to derive materials of
value to help establish a circular economy for the Philippine sheries industry.

To minimize transport costs and its consequent carbon footprint, incentivizing innovations that maximize
the use of derived sh waste at the municipal level can be done given the production rate that has been

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discovered. Collaboration between the shing community and researchers can be done to validate and
promote existing traditional practices that already contribute to the circular economy.

Declarations
Ethical approval

Full disclosure of the purpose of the study was provided to the participants in English and in their local
language. Informed consent forms, as validated by the De La Salle University’s Ethics Review Committee
under the Continuing Ethic Clearance EXT.008.2018-2019.T2.COS, were provided, and signed by the
participants. All international, national, and institutional standards in handling the information collected
were followed in this study.

Consent to participate

All authors consent to the participation in this study and are equally accountable for the information
gathered and presented in this paper.

Consent to publish

All authors agree with the content, and all gave explicit consent to submit the paper to Environmental
Science and Pollution Research. The authors have obtained consent from the responsible authorities of
the De La Salle University prior to submission of this manuscript to the journal.

Authors contribution

The contribution of the authors to this paper are the following:

Sheralyn De Ungria: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources,

Writing - Original Draft

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 Lara Therese Fernandez: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources,
Writing - Original Draft
Sophia Ellise Sabado: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources,
Writing - Original Draft
Jeano Paulo Santos: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources,
Writing - Original Draft
Allysa Rose Sararaña: Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal analysis, Investigation, Resources,
Writing - Original Draft
Chona Camille VinceCruz-Abeledo: Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Formal analysis,
Data curation, Writing - Review & Editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project Management

Funding

This study is funded by the ongoing project of Dr. Chona Camille VinceCruz - Abeledo of the De La Salle
University entitled “Validation of Local Practices with Genetic Marker Base and GIS Technologies to
Maximize Use of Wild Caught and Traded Mangrove Crab Juveniles”, funded by the DOST – PCAARRD.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing nancial interests or personal relationships that
could have appeared to in uence the work reported in this paper.

Availability of data and materials

All data and materials in this study, as well as software applications used, support the published claims
and comply with eld standards.

Acknowledgments

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 This study is under the ongoing project of Dr. Chona Camille VinceCruz - Abeledo of the De La
Salle University entitled “Validation of Local Practices with Genetic Marker Base and GIS Technologies to
Maximize Use of Wild Caught and Traded Mangrove Crab Juveniles”, funded by the DOST – PCAARRD.

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Figures
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Figure 1

Purposive sampling was done to select respondents to determine waste management at different wet
markets around the Philippines. (a) Eight wet markets were surveyed in Metro Manila while (b) 20 wet
markets were surveyed in rural shing areas all over the Philippines.

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Figure 2

Composition of sh waste generated daily in wet markets of the Philippines.

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Figure 3

The average daily production of sh waste (in kg) across wet markets in the Philippines.

Figure 4

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Proportions of sh waste that were thrown away and re-used per location, with Manila and Bataan
showing signi cantly lower percentages of sh waste being re-used (p=0.0311).

Figure 5

Proportions of sh waste that were re-used per location, with locations outside of Metro Manila showing
higher proportions being sold.

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Figure 6

Awareness of respondents on proper SWM practices as indicated by RA 9003 or the “Ecological Solid
Waste Management Act of 2000.”

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