Residents of Barangay Mancatian in Porac town are complaining of the alleged "unpleasant odor" coming from a sanitary landfill situated in the village.
In their letter sent to members of the village council, the residents asked Mayor Francis Laurence Tamayo to conduct an immediate inspection of the 15-hectare Category 4 landfill run by Eco Protect Management Corporation (EPMC).
The waste firm started operations in 2022 and serves 86 local government units and private firms in Pampanga, Bataan, Bulacan and other parts of Central Luzon.
The residents claimed that they are affected by the heavy volume of garbage being dumped by trucks from other provinces in the landfill causing the alleged foul odor.
For health and safety reasons, Mancatian Barangay Chairman Edilberto Layug told the media earlier that he had diverted the garbage haulers to a route where there are no houses and dwellers, but the "unpleasant smell" persists.
"Minsan sa mismong landfill galing ang amoy pag humahangin. Mga isang kilometro lang ang layo ng landfill sa mga bahay. Apektado din iyung mga malapit na pabrika doon. Wala pa namang nagkakasakit pero sana mabigyan agad ito ng solusyon," he said.
He recounted that residents did not oppose the establishment of the landfill during the public hearing as EPMC's presentation "was good."
"Hindi namin inasahan na magiging ganito ang resulta nito dahil maganda naman ang inilatag na plano at presentation noon. Maganda kaya hindi kami nag-oppose. Noon, siguro dahil hindi pa puno, walang problema. Pero ngayon, wala pa iyung gilingan at drainage," Layug said.
He also expressed concern that it might result in seepage and water pollution. "Ang gusto lang naman namin ay solusyon," he said.
Engineer Perry Bonzon, EPMC operations manager, said EPMC is not ignoring the complaints.
He added that they will continue to remind the truck haulers to make sure their trucks do not leak.
Bonzon said the EPMC already have a system in place to wash every truck before it leaves the facility.
He added that the facility adheres to standard practices to ensure that its operations comply with environment regulations, including routine inspections of incoming trucks to verify that only residual waste is accepted.
Bonzon said that EPMC cannot accommodate hospital or hazardous waste yet.
He added that waste accepted by EPMC goes into an eight-meter-deep pit, immediately sprayed with enzyme solution, and covered with six inches of soil once it reaches the designated depth.
Bonzon said the company secured government permits, including an Environmental Compliance Certificate, a Waste Water Discharge Permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and a Mayor’s Permit.
He said the landfill’s location on flat, lahar-rich terrain provides natural advantages such as erosion resistance and lower risk of landslides.
“Because of the weather and the location, wala po kaming masyadong nakukuhang leachate dahil mainit pa ‘yung lahar sa ibaba at mainit pa rin ‘yung soil sa taas kaya mabilis magdecompose ‘yung waste sa pit natin,” Bonzon said.
“Pagka-dump ng basura, nag-spray agad ng enzyme solution para maiwasan ‘yung pag-amoy at para mapabilis ang decomposition. We spend around P450,000 per month for the enzyme solution alone,” he added.
To prevent the spread of odor and contamination outside the facility, trucks are sanitized before exiting the premises, he said.
Bonzon however explained that EPMC has no control over how local government units handle and transport waste before arriving at the landfill.