DENR to LGUs: Follow Bayawan’s waste disposal model

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) urged local government units yesterday to replicate the solid waste management framework of Bayawan City in Negros Oriental.

According to the DENR, the local ordinances in 2002 mandated source segregation, systematic collection, recycling and composting in the community.

Bayawan has a pay-as-you-throw ordinance wherein sacks of residuals require designated stickers for collection, leaving unsegregated trash uncollected and violators facing penalties.

DENR Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna said high compliance rates were maintained through deputized monitoring and aggressive information, education and communication campaigns.

“Through these measures, approximately 80 percent of waste segregation is completed before final disposal, recovering valuable recyclables and significantly reducing overall waste volume,” Cuna said.

The Bayawan government built a 27.4-hectare city waste management and ecology center to serve all 28 barangays, five neighboring LGUs and three private companies.

“Bayawan shows us that environmental laws work when they are implemented consistently and when communities are made part of the solution. This is a model that other LGUs can learn from and adapt to their own local conditions,” Cuna said.