AFTER having endured the problem for three decades, residents of Villa Rufina Subdivision 2 in Barangay Soong, Lapu-Lapu City have called on the Lapu-Lapu City Government to close the City’s transfer station adjacent to their subdivision as an early “Christmas gift,” stressing that the foul odor of the trash and the threat of methane gas inside the facility have already impacted their health and day-to-day living.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) recommended closing the transfer station immediately through an investigation report dated Aug. 25, 2023.
Interviewed on SunStar’s online noontime show “Beyond the Headlines” last Oct. 4, Charlie Climaco, secretary of the Villa Rufina Homeowners Association, said they had complained about the issue for almost three decades. Yet it seemed far from getting resolved.
Climaco claimed that residents were already getting ill, particularly having pulmonary problems due to the waste.
At times, they found snakes around the village, which they believe might have come from the overwhelmingly large piles of trash at the transfer station.
“Sauna di pa man kaayo na daghan, pero karon murag grabe naman. Nilapas nas pader (retaining wall) ug two meters. Unya ang baho permanente na, labi nag gabie,” said Climaco.
(The trash was not much before, but now it seems severe already. It has exceeded the retaining wall by two meters, and the awful smell is now permanent, especially at night.)
Interviewed on GMA’s “Balitang Bisdak” on Tuesday, Oct. 10, Melvin Doble, the material recycling facility (MRF) head, said the station had been serving as the temporary transfer station to follow EMB’s closure order.
Doble said they had already discussed interventions to expedite the garbage hauling to transfer it to the landfill in Consolacion town and prevent it from getting stored for a long time inside their facility.
He added that they had also requested the City administrator to hire more personnel to have three shift operations instead of two to ensure that the MRF functions 24/7.
Emi Bonghanoy, Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) Lapu-Lapu City head, said they will rehabilitate the transfer station based on the EMB’s suggestion until the Department allows it to operate again.
“There was an advisory (EMB) that we have the ground (in the transfer station) covered with limestone so that it will not produce methane gas from the garbage. At the same time, they also have periodic check-ups at our facility now and then,” said Bonghanoy.
Open dumpsite?
Climaco said they sent a letter of complaint on the problem to their barangay captain, which was forwarded to the Office of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan in 2022.
The homeowners accused the transfer station of practicing open burning of garbage. They complained of the foul odor emitted by the waste disposed of there, especially at nighttime, and of the facility operating like an open dumpsite.
A retaining wall of about 10 to 15 meters divides the Rufina Subdivision from the transfer station.
A transfer station is a processing site for the temporary deposition of waste, often where local waste collection vehicles deposit their waste cargo before loading it into larger vehicles.
Climaco said instead of temporary storage, they often see large garbage trucks entering the facility every morning and dumping large piles of garbage with an unbearable smell.
Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, prohibits the operation of open dumpsites.
Reacting to the complaint, Chan’s office forwarded their concern to the City’s Cenro, which arranged a meeting to formulate countermeasures amid the issue, Climaco said.
In their discussion in August 2022, Climaco said Cenro promised to expedite solid waste hauling to transfer the residual waste to the Consolacion Landfill.
However, the problem continued, prompting them to appeal to the EMB.
Investigation
In its investigation report, the EMB said it conducted an inspection of the transfer station and found dumping and collection of residual waste being undertaken, and observed minimal foul order in the area.
The transfer station receives residual wastes from the Central MRF, which holds garbage from public markets, residences, public offices, roads and other public places within the city.
During its investigation, EMB observed a significant increase in the quantity of waste stored in the transfer station compared to during the last monitoring with heavy equipment operational and waste pickers.
It also noted the presence of flies in the subdivision at the time of inspection.
However, the investigation did not observe the burning of trash and said the instances of burning might have come from the junk shops in the vicinity.
Recommendation
With this, EMB recommended closing the transfer station immediately, implementing a safe closure and rehabilitation plan, and fast-tracking the transport of waste from the source to the landfill.
The Department also ordered the City to adhere to RA 9003 and strictly implement segregation at source and segregated collection.