ADB exec cites QC waste management system

A senior official of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has commended the Quezon City government for transforming the Payatas open dump into a controlled facility, describing it as an environmentally acceptable waste disposal system.

Michael Linfield, ADB senior housing specialist for the social sector division of ADB Southeast Asia, noted in a report that the Payatas dump has shown remarkable improvement in its operation in the past six months.

The Linfield report will be formally endorsed to the ADB board for evaluation.

Impressed by the city government’s efficiency in waste management, the ABD has put up a P1.3-million material recovery and compost facility in Barangay Holy Spirit where garbage is segregated, recycled and transformed into fertilizer.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said Linfield’s observations were an offshoot of the various improvements instituted by the city government to ensure the efficiency of operations in Payatas.

These include the widening of waterways around the dump, fortifying roadways for easy access to the area, grading uneven surfaces and steep slopes, applying soil cover to reduce and prevent the occurrences of dump fires, and installing pipes under the mountain of garbage to lessen friction caused by leachate and methane gas stored underneath.

"What the city government is doing right now is effectively complying with all existing environmental laws and prolonging the life span of Payatas for at least two to three more years until the city has put in place a more environmentally acceptable disposal technology that will ensure a safe disposal site for the city’s waste without displacing scavengers who depend on garbage for their livelihood," Belmonte said.

Apart from the Payatas dump, the Quezon City government has also selected five pilot areas for the full implementation of the Ecological Solid Management Act, which prohibits the use of open dumps in the country three years after the approval of the said law. The countdown for the ban on open dumps started last June 21.

The pilot barangays are San Roque, Bayanihan, Villa Maria Clara, Masagana and Mangga in District 3.