Recovery facility in barangays to reduce waste by 50%

CEBU, Philippines – The establishing of a functional Materials Recovery Facility in all barangays in the municipalities and component cities of the province is seen to cut generation of solid waste, especially in most households, by 50 percent.

This as all barangays in the Province of Cebu are to establish an MRF and to observe mandatory solid waste segregation in compliance with the provisions of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia assured that the provincial government will support the barangays by giving capital assistance for programs on garbage reduction and segregation.

In the first general assembly of members of the Association of Barangay Councils held at the Cebu International Convention Center recently, Garcia said that Capitol will provide P50,000 to the barangays while the municipality will be receiving P15,000 per barangay.

Dubbed as D’Gwen Program, for Disposal of Garbage and Waste Enforcement for Nature, the barangays will purchase recycled materials from households using the capital assistance received from the province.

The municipalities, in turn, will purchase recycled materials from the barangays using also the capital assistance.

The province, on the other hand, will purchase recycled materials from the municipalities.

Under the provision on MRF which must be strictly followed, the law mandated that 25 percent of solid waste must be diverted to reuse and recycling; and that composting activities shall be adopted for waste that decomposes and or breaks down.

Executive Order 774 issued by President Gloria Arroyo enjoins all local government units to reduce solid waste generation by 50 percent within the next six months starting January of this year.

Garcia said that each barangay and municipality/component city will construct a materials recovery facility before the signing of the memorandum of agreement and distribution of the capital assistance.

The signing of the MOA is tentatively scheduled on July 3.

The municipal mayor and the ABC president of the locality are tasked to certify that barangays have MRF on or before June 30 prior to the release of the P50,000.

The province, through the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, will certify that municipalities have MRF on or before June 30 prior also to the release of the P15,000 per barangay.

“Dili kinahanglan dako aron maka-establish mo og MRF,” Garcia said, adding that the financial assistance is part of the P100 million given by President Arroyo to the province for the solid waste management program. — Garry B. Lao/MEEV (THE FREEMAN)