Monday, December 18, 2006 City to enforce garbage segregation by January
THE city would pursue the implementation of the mandatory waste segregation in the barangays starting next month.
City Environment and Parks Management Office (Cepmo) Chief Nazita Bañez said the city has just completed the 10-year Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan and one of its thrusts is to empower the barangays to implement their own waste management programs through composting and management of recyclable waste.
The city will support the program through the establishment of materials recovery facilities (MRFs) in these barangays even as trainings had also been conducted for the past months to prepare barangay officials and residents for the program.
Bañez, who is also the head of the technical working group (TWG) on waste management, said 17 MRFs are targeted for construction to cater to the waste management needs of the barangay clusters.
The first five MRFs are targeted for construction for 1997, the other five in 1998 and the remaining seven in 2009. This would be complemented by the construction of a main MRF structure amounting to P250 million and bio-reactor machines for composting needs of the barangays.
"So that by the end of 2009, the barangays will be the ones managing their waste and the city's focus will only be the city market and those not covered by the facilities," Bañez said.
She said a massive information campaign will also be conducted to educate the residents on proper waste segregation and on the principles of recycling and waste reduction at their own homes. This will also be in line with the implementation of the city ordinance for the mandatory waste segregation in households.
The mandatory waste segregation program will be in preparation for the conversion of the Irisan dumpsite into an interim disposal facility that in effect will limit the dumping of wastes in the area preparatory to its eventual total closure.
Bañez said the bidding is now being undertaken for the dumpsite's rehabilitation and closure. However, of the entire dumpsite area, some 1.7 hectares will be maintained as interim disposal facility for at least two years more or until a permanent waste management program particularly sanitary landfill site has been established.
At present, the city is targeting three sites for its sanitary landfill project, one is located in Yagyagan, Tuba town, one in Virac and one in Balatoc Mines.
Bañez said the waste management board would decide if these sites are strategic enough for the intended purpose and if found feasible, then these would be submitted to the environment department for study and determination of their geo-physical feasibility.
If found feasible, then the city would consult with technical experts to determine the project's economic and social aspects before the project can be pursued.
The reforms on the waste management system is in line with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the National Ecological Solid Waste Management Act which requires local government units (LGUs) to adopt an effective waste management program that will no longer require the operation of a dumpsite by year 2007. (AR)
