Open Clark landfill to rest of Central Luzon, Gozun urges

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozun has appealed to Tarlac officials to allow the rest of Central Luzon to use the state-of-the-art sanitary landfill developed by German experts within the Clark special economic zone, saying the project "even surpasses government standards."

Gozun expressed concern over the growing waste disposal problem in the country, saying that nationwide, some 10 million metric tons of garbage are being churned out daily, with Metro Manila accounting for about one-fourth of the total volume.

The present landfill occupies five hectares, but a total of 100 hectares have been reserved for the project.

After inspecting the project, Gozun noted that the technology used by the German experts "far surpassed government standards."

The project, now handled by the Clark Sanitary Landfill Corp., was developed by the Ingenieurburo Birkhahn Nolte and Heers & Brodkstedt (BN-HB).

Gozun said the law mandating sanitary landfills would take effect in 2007. In the meantime, the government allows only controlled dumpsites amid the proliferation of open dumpsites in Central Luzon and other parts of the country.

So far, she said only Muñoz City in Nueva Ecija, the City of San Fernando in Pampanga, and Iligan City in Lanao del Norte are working on the financing of their respective sanitary landfills.

"It would be more cost-effective for local government units to cluster themselves for the use of a common landfill since developing one could be costly. The Clark landfill is quite state-of-the-art and is already here so it would be better for local government units in Central Luzon to take advantage of it," she said.

Officials of Bamban town initially objected to the project, but after scrutinizing the project, its mayor, Rey Catacutan, threw his support behind it.

Some groups in Tarlac, however, have continued to oppose the landfill, claiming it would adversely affect the environment.

Last February, the Tarlac provincial board passed a resolution supporting the project, but specified that it be used only for wastes from the Clark ecozone and nearby Tarlac towns initially.

Gozun, however, noted that so far, only about 80 to 100 tons of wastes from the Clark ecozone and a few Tarlac towns are being processed at the landfill, despite its 1,500-ton daily capacity.

"This would not be feasible for its developer who invested so much for such a modern and safe landfill," she said.

She said the Clark landfill could be replicated elsewhere in the country, especially for the garbage disposal needs of Metro Manila.

"If Metro Manila has to have a new landfill, it would be outside the metropolis which is already too congested and where land has become too expensive," she said.

She clarified, however, there is no plan to use the Clark landfill for Metro Manila’s wastes. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is looking for a landfill site with the DENR providing only the technical assistance, she said.

In an earlier interview with The STAR, Albert Magalang, executive director of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, said he plans to duplicate the Clark landfill for Metro Manila as he described it to be "the only one of its kind in the country."

He also doused fears of local folk that the landfill would also be used for Metro Manila’s mounting garbage, saying the site is too far from the metropolis and thus, it would be "too costly" to transport wastes there.

Hans Holger, a representative of the German consortium, said the landfill could initially accommodate as much as 350,000 cubic meters of assorted wastes.

"By the third or fourth year, enough wastes would have been accumulated to produce gas that could operate a five- to eight-megawatt power plant here," he said. — Ding Cervantes