BACOLOD City Mayor Greg Gasataya has urged the management of IPM-Construction Development Corporation (IPM-CDC), the city’s private contractor for garbage collection, hauling, and landfill maintenance, to fast-track the construction of the Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technological Hub (Birth) in Barangay Felisa.
Gasataya, who inspected the city's sanitary landfill on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, said the Birth facility is expected to help reduce the city’s residual waste.
"We have urged the management of our sanitary landfill to fast-track the construction of the Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technological Hub, which will drastically improve our recycling efforts and reduce our residual waste once completed," Gasataya said.
The facility, which broke ground in March 2025 under the leadership of former mayor and now Congressman Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, is slated for completion by December this year.
The project, located on a 33.13-hectare site adjacent to the city’s sanitary landfill, aims to address Bacolod’s growing waste management challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions.
Benitez earlier said Bacolod generates an increasing volume of waste, necessitating efficient systems to mitigate environmental impact, enhance resource recovery, and support a circular economy.
“This project seeks to maximize the recovery of recyclable materials, reduce landfill waste and ensure the proper processing and recycling of recovered resources,” Benitez said.
The facility, with a total budget of P160 million, will include the construction and site development of the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), the supply and installation of furniture and equipment, and the implementation of electrical and lighting systems.
The MRF and equipment will also feature a conveyor belt sorting line, integrated waste solutions for MRF operations, baling of recyclables, and systems for tree trimming and yard waste disposal through recycling and windrow composting.
Moreover, Gasataya said Cell No. 4 is projected to reach full capacity in just six months.
He stressed that the City must implement both efficient waste collection and reduction strategies, emphasizing that these efforts must go hand in hand to sustain Bacolod’s solid waste management program.
“It’s so complicated trying to look at it, whether what should go first, either collection or reduction. But it has to go both ways (referring to the ongoing construction of the Birth, inside the landfill," he added.
AAside from infrastructure development, Gasataya also emphasized the importance of enhancing livelihood support for the city’s informal waste sector, a group of trash pickers who rely on recyclable materials from the landfill for income.
“We are finding ways to help them out and to boost their income,” Gasataya said.
Gasataya will also hold a meeting with concerned city department heads to strategize and reinforce waste collection and reduction measures in the city.
Also present during the inspection were Councilor Homer Bais, chairperson of the City Council Committee on Environment and Ecology; City Administrator Atty. Mark Steven Mayo; Atty. Allyn Luv Dignadice, officer-in-charge of the Bacolod Environment and Natural Resources Office; Engr. Loben Ceballos, officer-in-charge of the City Engineer’s Office; City Planning and Development Officer Mary Jean Ramos; and representatives from IPM-CDC. (MAP)