Editorial: Segregation is still key

Editorial Cartoon by Josua Cabrera
Editorial Cartoon by Josua Cabrera

CITIZEN Lito Vasquez was quick to react on Vice Mayor Michael Rama’s privileged speech that called for an update on the City’s 30-year-old ordinance on garbage management.

Rama said thus, “I believe that despite our political differences, we can unite in pounding the legislative anvil to craft a relevant and updated ordinance on waste management to serve the greater good for the greater number.”

Vasquez said the vice mayor was referring to Ordinance 1361, enacted on Feb. 5, 1990. This came before Republic Act 9003 or the “Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.” In 2004, Councilor Nestor Archival crafted an ordinance along the lines of RA 9003, entitled “An ordinance for the implementation of solid waste segregation at source, providing penalties for violations thereof, and the creation of a special fund for incentives.” This ordinance, enacted in Nov. 10, 2004, “effectively repealed/amended/modified parts of Ordinance 1361, which are inconsistent herewith,” said Vasquez.

Section 7.1 of Ordinance 2031, said Vasquez, provided for a strict collection schedule, which was to be determined by the Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board. It also called for the formulation of an IRR (implementing rules and regulations) “for the effective implementation of any and all provisions of this ordinance, thereby ensuring compliance thereto.”

The ordinance highlighted the importance of segregation as a means for efficient collection, but unfortunately, this is exactly where the key failure was all these years. Vasquez said, thus, “The Commission on Audit, in its Audit Observation Memorandum, said that the failure of the City Government to enforce the segregation policy resulted in millions spent for hauling garbage.”

Records from the City Treasurer’s Office showed that annual revenues from garbage fees only amounted to one-third of the total cost of handling garbage, Vasquez said.

The public knows just how little seriousness have been poured forth on the idea of segregation. It does not take eagle eyes to see just how any amount of careful segregation in the source gets muddled up in the actual collect-and-dump practice in the field.

“These concerns may be addressed by coming up with an IRR for Ordinance 2031 and a strict schedule of collection (provided segregation is practiced), and cascaded to all barangays. Even disposal, which the vice mayor identified as the ‘bigger problem,’ shall be addressed because only a small percentage of residual waste, around 10 percent or 86 tons daily from the total of 861 tons per day (year 2015, draft 10-Year Solid Waste Management Plan), should be disposed to landfills thru strict segregation,” said Vasquez.

Vasquez, in his response, also cited his disagreement to any attempt to establish a waste-to-energy facility, a practice that runs counter to the Clean Air Act. Besides, a lack of segregation will render any incineration facility unsustainable.

Vasquez’s views are grounded on experience and study, which he had done while he was in official capacity with government. The Council can perhaps take inputs from a wider field of stakeholders and experts.

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