To decongest dump in Dumaguete Sagarbarria mulls export of plastics trash to Israel

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines  â€“ Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria on Monday announced the city government is now considering an unsolicited proposal from a Russian company to export to Israel all the dumped plastics here as an option to solve the nagging garbage disposal problem.

Sagarbarria made the disclosure during a forum sponsored by the Philippine Information Agency in observance of this year’s Earth Day when various concerns were raised, such as the lack of a sanitary land fill (SLF), watershed degradation, congested city streets, as well as suggestions to use solar energy. 

Aside from an enormous amount of money to acquire and maintain an SLF, the same is obsolete, said Sagarbarria who wanted to get rid of plastics by studying the unsolicited proposal from a Russian firm he did not name yet.

During the forum on waste management, Mark Espedilla of Foundation University talked about the city’s garbage disposal problems, saying the city generates at least 60 tons of trash a day or about 22,000 tons a year. Of the total volume of trash, 80 percent is generated from households, said Espedilla, suggesting that the dumpsite in Brgy. Candauay be declogged by waste segregation, among other means.

Sagarbarria replied by saying that he no longer believed in the mandatory sanitary landfills for local government units, describing it as a “thing of the past.”

While a sanitary landfill is required by law, the mayor said it is no longer applicable and would not be the appropriate response to address the city’s rising volume of trash.

The proposed clustered sanitary landfill in Dauin town for LGUs, comprising Metro Dumaguete, had not panned out. To date, the city continues with its open-pit dumpsite, spending over P10 million in operations cost, he said.

Sagarbarria pointed out that plastic and not organic matter is the city’s biggest problem on waste disposal, prompting the city to look for other means to dispose of or utilize its trash. 

Currently, the city government is transforming organic trash from the dumps into fertilizers to increase the productivity of farmers.

On the other hand, waste matter, specifically plastics, are being collected for other purposes, such as recycling, and more importantly, for possible export to Israel that Sagarbarria is now hoping to be realized. (FREEMAN)