A FIRM’S proposal to process segregated biodegradable waste into compost may solve Cebu City’s problem of the increasing cost of waste collection and disposal, according to its Solid Waste Management Board.
The Committee on Social Services, in a report submitted to the council on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, said that a thorough evaluation of Jomara Konstruckt Corp.’s (JKCO) proposal, including a technical review of their proposed services and proposed fee, may be conducted.
Councilor Pancrasio Esparis, who chairs the social services committee, said the firm’s proposal could address five significant problems affecting the city, including the increasing cost of collection and disposal of waste, organic matter depletion in the soil, foul smell, flies, and greenhouse gas emissions, detrimental effects of chemical-based farming on the soil and water, and groundwater pollution due to toxic leachate (formed when rainwater filters through wastes in landfill) contamination.
JKCO’s proposal includes processing segregated biodegradable waste, which involves converting organic waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer and compost.
However, the committee wrote that they also require careful consideration of relevant laws and regulations, especially the Government Procurement Reform Act, which requires public bidding and transparency in procurement processes.
It stated that the committee needs to verify JKCO’s proposal to ensure that it does not violate any provision and does not unfairly favor one bidder over another.
In May 2024, Myra Lapitan of JKCO wrote a letter addressed to Cebu City Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, offering services to the city to process biodegradable waste.
According to Lapitan, JKCO can process more than 100 tons of biodegradable segregated waste daily.
Lapitan said JKCO served the city government from 2016 until 2019, during the leadership of former mayor Tomas Osmeña up to the administration of former mayor Edgardo Labella.
She said their services include collecting, hauling, processing, and disposing of municipal solid waste from public and private establishments.
She added that they also rescue discarded vegetables, fruit peels, spoiled fruits, yard waste, and other biowaste to reduce the volume of waste entering the landfill, where mixed trash only worsens problems of foul odor, flies, and greenhouse emissions.
“Converting biodegradable waste into compost for agricultural use is a win-win for consumers, farmers, the local government, and green industry advocates,” said Lapitan.
She added that they know that at least 50 percent of the City’s waste is biodegradable.
“This is a resource that can be processed into a compost that could be useful for the agricultural sector, but becomes a pollutant when dumped as mixed waste into the landfill,” she said. / JPS