Monday, April 14, 2008 Equipment to complete solid waste complex
THE scheduled arrival of a locally assembled segregating machine before September will complete Lapu-Lapu City’s Solid Waste Complex and force the shutdown of its open dumpsite in Sitio Soong, Barangay Mactan.
Paz Radaza, chairperson of City Hall’s Solid Waste Management Program, said that a contractor in Calamba, Laguna had offered the City a P16-million package that includes a depository building, composting machine, generator and a machine that will segregate residual waste.
“We can bring down the cost as soon as the assembly of the segregating machine is done and delivered to us, because this is the only thing our complex lacks. We have almost everything except this one,” the mayor’s wife told Sun.Star Cebu in a mobile phone interview.
Open dumpsite
Construction of the complex, which sprawls beside the open dumpsite, cost the City P18 million, including the generator, depository building and the composting machine. At the start of its operation in 2005, the City reduced the volume of waste dumped in the open site.
But Radaza admitted that collection and segregation, as in the case of Camella subdivision in Barangay Pajac and in other barangays, remains a problem because some collectors report for work late.
Disgrace
“Nagpakauwaw lang ning mga tawhana. Kon ako’y masunod pang-ilisan tana sila oy (These people are a disgrace. If it were up to me, I’d replace them),” she said.
Of 700 tons of garbage the City collected in 2006, about 10 tons were composted. Thirty tons were recycled, showing that about 5.7 percent of solid waste had been reduced.
The City accomplished this through manual segregation by at least 70 scavengers employed at the waste complex.
Last year, the City had 40 tons of residual waste out of the 120 tons of garbage collected from the different barangays.
“We are eager to shut down the open dumpsite not only because it is mandated by the law, but it costs us extra to treat the deposited garbage with chemicals so it will not emit odor,” Radaza said.
Republic Act 9003, the Solid Waste Management Act, prohibited open dumpsites beginning Feb. 16, 2001. Seven years later, Lapu-Lapu will be the first local government unit (LGU) to comply with the law if it shuts down its open dumpsite before September.
Years ago, lawyers out to help enforce environmental laws had threatened to sue local governments that maintain open dumps. But the lack of funds prevents most LGUs from complying with the law, which also mandates the construction of a sanitary landfill as an alternative.
Hollow blocks
Inside the city’s waste complex, the composted residual waste are processed into hollow blocks. Recyclables go to the employed scavengers, so they can earn extra.
Radaza said some of the scavengers are paid P1,500 as honorarium each month. The rest are job-order workers hired for P4,000 a month.
She said the employed scavengers have proven themselves more productive than the city’s full-time garbage collectors. (AIV)
