THE City Government of Bacolod will remove the garbage bins in two big public markets in the city starting on Friday, January 18, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran said on Wednesday, January 16.

Familiaran, chairman of Solid Waste Action Team, said this is one of their strategies for the collection of garbage in big public markets.

“We will remove the garbage bin so we can educate our people in waste segregation in compliance of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act,” he said.

On Tuesday, January 15, Familiaran held a meeting with various stakeholders at Libertad Public Market along with the city’s garbage hauler IPM-Construction and Development Corp. (IPM-CDC) and Bacolod Traffic Authority Office.

Familiaran said the garbage bins were placed along Mabini-Amelia Streets and it will be removed on Friday.

He said the IPM-CDC provided a new schedule of garbage collection at Libertad Public Market from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Familiaran will also hold a meeting on Thursday, January 17, with the stakeholders at Burgos Public Market for the implementation of the new garbage collection strategy.

“We will also remove the garbage bin at Burgos Public Market so we can educate our people to practice waste segregation. It’s very important, the education and discipline,” he said.

Familiaran pointed out the vendors should not dump their garbage everywhere, they should keep it and wait for the schedule of the garbage collection within their areas.

“This is for their own good and benefits to improve their business environment and for the convenience of their customers. We should follow the law,” Familiaran said.

He recalled that during the Asean Summit in Bacolod, they also removed the garbage bins in public markets, and it was effective.

Familiaran vowed to focus on information and education campaign for the implementation of the “no segregation, no collection” policy this year.

Once the construction of cell no. 2 at the sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa will be completed, Familiaran said they will strictly enforce the “no segregation, no collection” policy.

“I am appealing to our stakeholders in public markets to police our ranks, discipline ourselves so we can comply the RA 9003,” he said.