AN OFFICIAL from the Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) said the city's sanitary landfill might only last until 2023 unless Dabawenyos will continue to practice waste segregation.
"With continuous segregation, ma-maintain lang gihapon nako ang istorya nga (we might maintain our previous projection that the landfill will be filled) within two years," Cenro head Marivic Reyes said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio Thursday, June 3.
Since the 11.75-hectare New Carmen sanitary landfill in Tugbok district opened in 2008, former Cenro head Elisa Madrazo said in a previous report that the area has been projected to reach its full capacity in 2015.
But Reyes said the projected timeline was based on a study.
She added that most life spans of landfills range between five to eight years.
The feared exhaustion of the landfill also comes with the increase of subdivision and other residential developments.
But because of the rehabilitation efforts, and some households continuously complying with the waste segregation, she said this had contributed to the extended lifespan of the landfill.
Reyes also said there is an ongoing rehabilitation at the landfill.
The official said they already have an alternative area for the proposed expansion of the landfill. She said the city is planning to purchase an additional 10 hectare lot for the expansion.
"We are considering the lot adjacent to the existing para duol lang pud gani siya, and then magamit pa nato ang amenities sa existing landfill karon (so it would be near, and we could utilize the amenities of our existing landfill) like waybridge, katong (our) road network, ug kanang (and) facility," she said.
The Cenro head said they are targeting to start the expansion project within two years.
Despite the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) project, which is the city’s solution to solve the solid waste problem, Reyes said there is still a need to rehabilitate the sanitary landfill as the ashes emitted in the incinerator will be buried there.
Reyes previously said the city's average volume of collected garbage is around 600 to 650 tons per day since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the city in March 2020 until present.
The figure is slightly lower compared to the average 900 tons of garbage per day in 2019, during pre-pandemic.
Reyes said that despite the closure of large establishments, including hotels, the volume of waste collected remains high due to waste generated within households.
Despite continuous information drive, Reyes admitted that there are still Dabawenyos who do not practice waste segregation, which is mandated under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Reyes said it is important to practice solid waste management, including the non-throwing of biodegradables, as Cenro will only collect residuals.
Currently, the sanitary landfill in New Carmen, Tugbok has accumulated around 900,000 tons of garbage since 2016, exceeding its maximum capacity level of 700,000 to 800,000 tons.
With the passage of the "No to Single-Use Plastics Ordinance of 2021" in the 19th City Council early March this year, which regulates the sale, distribution, and use of single-use plastics in the city, Reyes said they will be intensifying the information campaign down to the barangays.
Reyes told SunStar Davao in a previous interview that the regulation on single-use plastic could help decongest the city’s landfill.