Alternative waste management solution needed

THE dawn of realization seems to have finally hit home for the City Government and its constituency as we once again take a long hard look at the severely limited options afforded by Republic Act 9003 also known as The Solid Waste Management Act, to solve the City’s garbage woes. Whoever came up with the bright idea in that law that an engineered sanitary landfill (ESL) is the surest way to manage and solve your garbage problems might have never visited nor resided in the City of Baguio. The fact that Baguio has a very limited land territory, coupled with the strong opposition to another garbage dump, albeit a structured one, are credible reasons for the City to finally consider alternative waste management disposal systems that is acceptable, feasible, environment friendly, and is beneficial as a permanent solution to the garbage problem of the City.

It is in this light that during the regular session of the City Council last Monday and while the rules were suspended, City councilor Peter C. Fianza included a proposed resolution entitled “Resolution Recommending the Adoption of an Alternative or New Solid Waste Disposal or Management System for the City of Baguio and thus Authorize the Solicitation and the Immediate Evaluation of Offered or Proposed Solid Waste Technologies.

In filing the said proposed legislative measure Councilor Fianza echoed the sentiment of most of his colleagues in the august body that the garbage woes of the City seemingly has not been solved with the purchase of the ERS machines along with the commitment of the agent of the supplier of the said machines that they will take care of the residual waste of the City for a period of ten years. That commitment, it can be recalled, along with the sale of the said machinery, were contained in a covering Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) executed last November 10, 2010.

However, as correctly observed by Councilor Fianza, despite procurement of the said machines that were suppose to turn garbage into usable fertilizer and failed efforts to undertake management of residual wastes by the said agent of the supplier, the City has once more been compelled to clean and clear the city at its own expense and using the same method of hauling out garbage to some other area outside of the city.

In this regard, Fianza has arrived at the conclusion that any other system of disposal or management of the City’s wastes that may be adopted by the city will be better and much cheaper in the long run that simply hauling out the said waste at a considerable expense to the city. He also posited the observation that the city is still a long way off from establishing an engineered sanitary landfill as required by law and thus, with the growing number of waste management technologies being offered or solid waste management promotions, it might no longer be difficult to find and adopt a truly appropriate system of managing and solving the garbage dilemma that shall be advantageous to the city.

The proposed resolution however, was not immediately adopted by the City Council as the members of the august body decided that the said matter would have to be studied further and to consider its ramifications in relation to the strategies being adopted by the city to solve its garbage woes. With this, the council referred the said proposed resolution to the appropriate committee for study and recommendation.

It can be further recalled that just the other day, the City Mayor was quoted by the media as saying that the City might be finally nearing to a solution to its garbage problems after being presented with two modern waste management and disposal technologies under a build-operate-transfer scheme (BOT) for twenty five years.