Lorna Misa, chief of the Muntinlupa Environmental Sanitation Center, said that a group from the city government had just visited the landfill in San Fernando City, La Union on Aug. 24.
She said an engineered landfill or controlled dumpsite is more viable and environment-friendly since the lowest level of the landfill will be covered with impermeable clay to prevent the garbage from seeping through the soil and affecting the water table. And once solid waste is dumped in the landfill, it will be covered with soil and sprayed with disinfectant and deodorizer, she said.
Misa said that Muntinlupa is now scouting for a landfill site in the nine barangays.
Meanwhile, the Muntinlupa City Council is currently deliberating on a proposed ordinance for the establishment of a Muntinlupa Ecological Solid Waste Management Board which will oversee the implementation of recycling and waste segregation in the city.
This is in compliance with Republic Act 9003 which mandates municipalities and cities to establish their own solid waste management boards. Once the board is established, it will be composed of representatives from the city government and private sector including those from recycling industry, chamber of commerce and industry, NGOs, and environment groups. The board will also recommend measures to stop pollution and protect the environment.
In a related matter, Misa explained that Muntinlupa is not dumping its garbage in San Pedro, Laguna. She said that it is not the responsibility of the city government to decide where to dump the garbage but it is the sole responsibility of the contractor, based on the provision of the garbage collection contract.
Misa said that according to the city’s garbage contractor, Ren Transport, it is disposing of garbage in Rizal and other areas, although it is not known whether Muntinlupa’s garbage is being dumped there.
She explained that the contract strictly provides that garbage collection and disposal will be shouldered by the contractor.
"That’s what we are paying them for," she said. She said she will investigate the claims of about 50 residents of San Antonio, San Pedro, Laguna that garbage coming from Muntinlupa is being dumped in the area. She said that what the residents might have seen were the garbage collectors of private companies and not the ones contracted by the city. She said that the garage of Ren Transport is also located in San Antonio where the dump truck driver’s families also live.