THE best option for the Cebu City Government is to implement Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Isabelo Montejo said following the law will solve the garbage crisis as the result of reopening the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.
On the other hand, the Movement for a Livable Cebu (MLC) and Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) said the Cebu City Government should consider short-, medium- and long-term plans in solving the garbage crisis.
Montejo said the law requires waste segregation and waste classification into biodegradable, non-degradable, reusable, recyclable, hazardous and bulky wastes.
A Material Recovery Facility (MRF) should be institutionalized in each barangay or sitio and communities ought to “operate a real sanitary landfill.”
He said that with proper segregation, 80 percent of the waste can be recycled and 20 percent thrown to the landfill.
“If this will be adopted by the Cebu City Government, there’s no need to look for an area and this will become a model and a tourist attraction and the barangays will have additional income from waste,” Montejo said.
Roadmap
Businessman Marc Canton, who is with both MLC and MCDCB, said the local government unit (LGU) may refer the solutions described by the Roadmap Study for Sustainable Urban Development in Metro Cebu.
Canton said the roadmap was prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), and commissioned by the MCDCB chaired by Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III.
The MCDCB consists of 13 LGUs, namely, Cebu City and the cities of Carcar, Naga, Talisay, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Danao and the municipalities of San Fernando, Minglanilla, Cordova, Consolacion, Liloan and Compostela, plus 17 national government agencies, 20 non-government organizations, among others.
“Considering the problems in handling the Inayawan dumpsite facing the city today, MLC has determined that current reported developments might complicate matters and worsen the unfortunate state of affairs,” Canton said.
Canton said the roadmap has a “Sub-Roadmap for Solid Waste Management,” which contains ideas and proposals to help solve the current problem.
Canton said that MLC does not support the reopening of Inayawan dumpsite because it contravenes several national laws, regulations and guidelines meant to protect the people and the environment.
He said the LGUs are mandated by the Local Government Code to implement laws safeguarding the welfare of the people and the environment.
“We are alarmed by the blatant disregard of recommendations of the DENR (Department of Environment and National Resources) and DOH (Department of Health),” Canton said.
Negative effects
Canton said the reopening of the Inayawan dumpsite has caused severe negative effects on the economic activity in the area.
He said the foul odor resulting from the reopening also shas a negative effect on tourism. Cebu’s new branding of “Where the Heart sings” might as well be “Where Cebu stinks.”
The MLC also disagreed with paying P5,000 to the UC-METC students because it does not solve the primary problem of foul odor, pollution and increased health risks associated with the site.
“In effect, the City is asking these select population to turn away their noses to an identified problem. This sets a terrible precedent,” Canton said.
Prescription
Based on those points, Canton said the MLC proposed that the Cebu City Government consider the short-, medium- and long- term plans described by the roadmap.
For short term, the MLC recommended that the Cebu City Government renegotiate with the Consolacion dumpsite for better terms; and enhance the waste reduction and recovery program.
The City must also conduct action planning and implement the project for environmentally sustainable closure of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill; and introduce an effective management system of medical waste and hazardous waste treatment facilities.
During this period of renegotiation with Consolacion, the City has to address the 32 non-compliance issues raised by DENR and DOH while at the same time employ strategies to mitigate the negative effects of keeping the Inayawan dumpsite open at least until the facilities are up.
For medium term, the City must implement the medium-term projects/programs identified in the Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Master Plan for Metro Cebu initiate construction of the new dumpsites as well as the medical and hazardous waste facilities by 2018.
He said the City needs to review the various modern systems of collecting, segregating, and consolidating remaining solid waste along with an operation and management system and a study on waste-to-energy (WTE) technology.
For long term, the City Government must develop a waste-to-energy system by 2025.
