Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Mayor mulls privatizing garbage collection By Rimaliza Opiña
THE present waste collection crisis is a test case if the city should now pursue privatization of garbage collection.
As the city is eyeing Clark, Pampanga as dumping site for its garbage, the Irisan lime kiln will be used as a transfer station of waste collected from the households and which will be picked up by a hauler then brought to the chosen dumping site.
With the recent development, Baguio Mayor Reinaldo Bautista Jr. said the city's plan on entering into a negotiated contract with a private hauler might signal the start for the city to seriously consider privatizing garbage collection if at the end of this month no site is identified for the dumping of the city's wastes.
In the past, several proposals have been made for the privatization of garbage collection but the plan did not push through after garbage collectors employed by the City Government protested.
Bautista said he is negotiating with the officials of Naguilian, La Union, Sablan, and Tuba as there are sites possible for dumping of garbage in these areas.
He said plans on bringing garbage to Pampanga are not final because of the distance and expense involved.
In the meantime, Bautista assigned City Administrator Peter Fianza as overall chief relative to the issue on solid waste management.
In Administrative Order (AO) 104-2008, Bautista said there has to be a centralized system in dealing the problem so as not to create confusion among all stakeholders or departments concerned.
