THE Cagayan de Oro City Government is using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geofence technologies to monitor garbage trucks and ensure efficient garbage collection in the city.
City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro) chief Engineer Armen Cuenca said all garbage truck units of the garbage collector IPM Construction And Development Corporation (IPM-CDC) will have GPS.
Cuenca said the GPS has enabled real-time updates and monitoring of the garbage collection.
The Geofence system would allow Clenro and IPM personnel to access the location of their people in a specific area and exchange messages.
The changes of the garbage collection was implemented in July 1, but a 15-day dry run was applied in June.
"We will be able to locate the garbage trucks real time, what time was the garbage collected in a certain area, and for how long did the garbage truck stayed in the area, did the driver stay too long or did he drive fast?" Cuenca said.
He said the new technology will be able to eliminate bogus complaints received by the Clenro everyday about uncollected wastes.
He said since its implementation, its office has stopped receiving false complaints.
"If there are complaints, we send people there to assess and validate the legitimacy. In the past, some people just complained all the time, and they do it to destroy the image of the administration," he said.
Meanwhile, Solid Waste Management division head Elvisa Mabelin reminds barangays to segregate waste to reduce garbage at source.
She said residual wastes, or wastes that are non-biodegradable or non-recyclable, are what the city should only be collecting and dumping at the landfill site.
It is the role of the barangays to manage recyclable and biodegradable wastes by building their own compost pit.
"We can only achieve efficient garbage collection if we reduce the waste we generate every day," she added.