New Davao waste facility opening set Tuesday

MANILA, Philippines — A new sanitary landfill facility in Davao City is expected to start operating on Tuesday to address the garbage problem of the local government, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Through the city engineer’s office, the local government reported that concrete pouring at the unloading bay section and installation of a geoliner at the facility were ongoing as of yesterday.

City environment officials and representatives from the Environmental Management Bureau met on Wednesday to review the local government’s progress report and compliance with the waste management system.

This developed after the operation of the Davao City Sanitary Landfill was suspended due to a trash slide that buried 15 houses and killed two people on May 20.

Since the accident, the DENR-Davao technical inspection and assessment team has been conducting daily site visits to enforce the suspension order, gather updates and monitor the implementation of mitigating measures.

“The DENR and the city government are working together to resolve the city’s waste collection and disposal challenges. Both parties have committed to discuss findings and determine the next steps to be taken,” the DENR said in a statement.

“Landfill operation will resume once the site is declared safe and the facilities are verified to be fully compliant with environmental and safety standards,” it added.