Waste body warns residents, business firms

CEBU, Philippines - The Mandaue City Solid Waste Management Team has informed city residents and owners of business and industrial establishments that it serious about the Solid Waste Management Law.

The other day, the City Solid Waste Management Team issued a citation ticket to Citihardware Inc. in barangay Tabok for violation of the Solid Waste Management Law.

Placido Jerusalem, head of the city's Solid Waste Management Team found garbage at the parking area of the establishment.

Citihardware, according to Jerusalem, violatedSection 1 A of the Sanitation/Environment Citation Ticket which prohibits the throwing, dumping, discharging, pouring out, unloading, spilling waste, refuse, or garbage, whether solid or liquid, human and animal excrement, and other offensive and obnoxious matter in any vacant lot, yards, roads, streets, canals, rivers, creeks, underground drainage system and other public places. Violators would be fined P500.

After the discovery of garbage, the management of Citihardware wrote a letter to Jerusalem saying that last Saturday the barangay hall in Tabok had said it would pick up of its garbage.

Citihardware store manager Pet Supieza said the hardware waited the whole day for the barangay garbage truck to pick up the garbage.

It didn't show up because the truck's engine wouldn't start, he said.

Supieza said the hardware's garbage is put in sacks for easy loading and disposal.

Supieza in his letter said that the management apologizes for the mess.

"We will not do it again and as much as possible we will coordinate with barangay officials," said Supieza.

Last week, Jerusalem's team arrested a truck driver and his assistant for transporting unsegregated garbage for a softdrink company in Mandaue City to the city's dumping site in barangay Umapad.

The vehicle was impounded. Driver Felix Tamarra and his assistant are detained at the Mandaue Police Station 5 in barangay Opao.

The arrest was in response to the order of Mayor Jonas Cortes to intensify the campaign against violators of the Solid Waste Management Law.

It was the team's first big arrest as far as violation of the Environmental and the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 is concerned, Jerusalem said.

Cortes said this will send a strong signal to other people who still don't comply with environmental laws.

Mayor Jonas Cortes ordered the closure of the Umapad open dumpsite in June 5, 2009 in compliance with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or RA 9003 and hence ordered all barangays to segregate their garbage and come up with a Material Recovery Facility. (THE FREEMAN)