STARTING next month, the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) will apprehend persons caught violating the “no segregation, no collection” policy.
CCENRO Executive Head Nida Cabrera said the policy has been in existence since 2011, but it stopped three years later due to “poor” enforcement.
A former city councilor, Cabrera said the changes in the past administration may have contributed to the development.
She lamented that she became inactive in the Solid Waste Management Board after a new body, Gubat sa Basura, was established and headed by incumbent Councilor Edu Rama.
But this time, Cabrera assured that the policy will be strictly enforced and will be more successful since the barangays have been working with CCENRO in educating the public.
If the policy is enforced, the City is expected to get rid of around 20 to 30 tons of garbage from the 600 tons it collects daily.
“With cooperation sa mga barangay, ma- successful ta kay dapat sila man una nga mo- implement. Although we have a problem on collection we will still continue using education campaign and enforcement,” she said.
Since last month, CCENRO and the barangay environmental officers (BEO) in Carreta, Sta. Cruz, Lahug, Pasil, Day-as, Kalubihan and Pasil, among others, have been putting up tarpaulins in their area on the guidelines of the policy.
The policy is under City Ordinance (CO) 2031 (solid waste segregation at source) and CO 1361, which provides for the issuance of citations to those caught urinating, spitting, littering, defecating in public places, and not following the correct schedule for garbage collection.
It prohibits the disposal of trash in public places and the non-segregation of garbage into residual, non-biodegradable, biodegradable and special waste.
Biodegradable garbage includes food waste, fish guts and paper, while non-biodegradable trash include plastics, cans and styrofoam.
Residual waste, on the other hand, include rags and diapers. Special waste include batteries, gadgets, bulbs and broken appliances.
It also prohibits the disposal of trash outside the scheduled time of collection and throwing garbage outside five meters of the household and/or establishment’s gate.
Penalties include a P500 compromise fee and a community service of 1 to 6 months, or imprisonment, depending on the court decision.
Sought for comment, Association of Barangay Councils president Philip Zafra said they welcome the development as a positive measure in solid waste management.
“Nindot kaayo na. That’s what we really need to do. I just would like to appeal to Cabrera to let the BEOs report to us for the efficient enforcement of environmental and solid waste management law,” he told SunStar Cebu. (RTF)