ZERO waste can only be achieved with community participation, an official of the city's task force on solid waste management said.
"Ang city level target is dili lang siya mahimo nga annual nga event kundi matag adlaw gyud, naa tay mechanism karon nga giplastar, nga ma-require na gyud nato ang mga barangays nga sila gyud ang manguna ug hinlo sa ilahang area (The city level target should not only be an annual event but every day. We posted some mechanisms that require villages to clean their area)," task force focal person Oliver Egypto said, pointing out the importance of the village’s participation to achieve zero waste in the city.
The Cagayan de Oro City Government, together with other government line agencies, conducted a clean-up drive to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the signing of the Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management program.
City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office officer-in-charge Edwin Dael said as the new sanitary landfill in Pagalugan village opens this May, its information and education campaign to the villages will also be intensified.
"Ang away jud diri is sa barangay level, walay segregation at source, kay kung dili nato mahimo karong tuiga, dali ra mapuno ang atong sanitary landfill, ang ato gyud is failure is not an option (The problem is in the village level, no segregation and source and if it won't be done this year, our sanitary landfills will be easily filled up) ," he said.
Dael said they are looking at requiring all villages to establish material recovery facility (MRF).
"Kung dili mo-cooperate ang barangay kami nasad mo-file ug kaso sa ila (If the villages won't cooperate, we will file a case against them)," he said.
The clean-up drive took place in the different areas of villages of Carmen, Macabalan, Patag, Camaman-an, Bulua, Barangay, Puntod, Bayabas, and Kauswagan.