Archival plans to revisit issues on waste facility

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor-elect Nestor Archival said he is planning to revisit the issues surrounding the Binaliw waste facility, which remained unresolved.

He said he is keen on calling the attention of the facility’s operator.

Following his announcement to plant more than 250,000 trees in honor of the number of votes that led to his victory, Archival is also set to champion another environmental concern, addressing the long-standing issue of the Binaliw Waste Facility.

Archival said that several residents have long been complaining about the foul smell coming from the facility.

As he prepared to assume the mayoral post next month, he said he planned to revisit the issue and to sit down with the operators to come up with viable solutions.

“Kay ang concerns sa mga tawo wala man gyud ni ma address. Wa gyud ni ma address ang kabaho, pagkahuman ang mga tubig nga midagayday didto sa ubos, in fact, mireklamo na ang taga Consolacion ani,” said Archival.

Archival clarified that the City's  direction is to reduce the volume of garbage being hauled, currently around 600 tons per day.

However, he admitted that the plan to lessen the amount of waste dumped at the facility may face public hesitation, as it comes with the implementation of a “no segregation, no collection” policy.

According to him, this approach would also allow biodegradable waste to be turned into compost.

However, Archival said he planned to address this matter through a diplomatic approach, while emphasizing that if operators fail to respond, he may issue a warning, and, if necessary, this could lead to the facility’s closure, should the situation worsen.

“But kinahanglan ta nga in a diplomatic way. Tagaan nato sila og chance, kay kini man gud sa pang gobyerno, kinahanglan sab ta maminaw sa unsa ilang mga problema,” said Archival.

It was reported that residents in Sitio Kainsikan, Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City, have been complaining about the foul smell coming from the materials recovery facility and sanitary landfill.

In a Facebook post by former Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman, he said that residents have endured the foul odor since the previous management of the landfill, and that the issue persisted under the current management.

The Facebook post also mentioned that the odor has reached Sitio Mansawa, also located in Barangay Binaliw.

Following this, Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia conducted an inspection of the Binaliw Landfill, where Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWSI) expressed its hope that the MRF will soon be fully operational to help mitigate the stench.

Garcia said the problem, particularly the foul odor, has already been identified, and water testing will be conducted to assess water quality. This came after a petition from residents of Binaliw and neighboring areas was submitted to the Office of the City Mayor, calling for immediate action. — (FREEMAN)