City asked to look into effects of trash in transit

CEBU, Philippines - The Committee on Urban Planning and Development wants the city government to study any harmful effects of garbage in transit before the city pursues its plan to divert its garbage to a neighboring town.

Amid the preparation for the total closure of the Inayawan landfill, the committee wants to make sure that before the city undertakes a major move, the welfare of the public is being considered especially that they are dealing with garbage that could be hazardous and harmful to public health.

The committee also wants the concerned city officials to make sure that the travel time, traffic peak hours and garbage pick-up times are considered carefully so it can be set at a time that is least inconvenient to the riding public.

In order to address these concerns, the committee returned to the Solid Waste Management Board its resolution containing the 13 recommendations to strengthen the city’s Solid Waste Management Program.

The committee also asked the SWMB to make sure that the authorized disposal sites it meant in its resolution is not within a watershed and is designed and operating according to the guidelines of Republic Act 9003.

The city is eyeing the Consolacion Sanitary Landfill as an authorized disposal site. The facility is privately owned and is operating within the standards of the law.

However, the city postponed its plan to divert the garbage to the private landfill due to some concerns on the accessibility of the site that needs to be addressed first.

The Inayawan landfill stays open for now but the SWMB resolution says that soon, the city shall divert 200 tons of garbage daily while the rest will be processed at the Material Recovery Facilities of different barangays.

About 58 tons per day shall also be recycled by waste pickers.

SWMB also recommends that a budget of P120,000 per day be allocated for the tipping fee and in the long run, consider the management of plastic waste through private partnership. (FREEMAN)