Binaliw landfill assures compliance to conditions

CEBU, Philippines — The operator of the controversial landfill in Barangay Binaliw, Cebu City assured it will comply with the requirements set by the Environmental Management Bureau-7 so it can continue to operate and, at the same time, address the complaints raised by residents in the barangay.

ARN Central Waste Management Inc. President Sherwin Santos told The FREEMAN they will fast track the construction of the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), which is operating manually at present.

"It was then agreed that ARN Central will expedite the construction so that the intended operations design and MRF can operate and greatly improve the waste management processes," Santos said.

During a technical conference last Friday, EMB-7 asked ARN to complete the construction of MRF so that trash can be processed within 100 days.

What is happening at present is that ARN disposes of the trash into a pit at the landfill after spraying it with neutralizer and covering it with soil.

"With the regards to the MRF, we are still doing the entire process manually. Once the facility has been completed, there will be automation and machine integration which will increase the turn over time and efficiency of the entire process," Santos said.

The MRF is designed to process up to 90 percent of trash every day. The landfill accommodates an average of 700 tons of trash per day.

The landfill is designed to accept 3,000 tons of trash on a daily basis.

Aside from the MRF, EMB-7 also directed ARN to set guidelines for private haulers to avoid stench from spreading to the neighborhoods surrounding the landfill.

"As of the moment, we are still drafting the formal sanitation guideline for the haulers. However, for starters, we’ve advised them to use spray solutions to control the waste material odours while in transit," Santos said.

"The complaining Binaliw councilors will assist in the joint drafting of a resolution that will seek the strict compliance of haulers to sanitation guidelines," Santos said.

In a separate interview, Binaliw councilwoman Daisy Ybañez said four inspection points will be established so that garbage trucks heading to the landfill can be checked.

These inspection points will be in Barangay Talamban, Bacayan, Pit-os, and Binaliw.

"Ang nasabutan namo didto (technical conference), magbutang og taw ngadto sa upat ka area, mu-coordinate with barangay captains nga tinood ba nga ang mga trucks gitabunan (We have agreed to assign personnel at the inspection points who can coordinate with the barangay captain to ensure that the garbage trucks are covered)," Ybañez said.

Garbage trucks that are not covered will not be allowed to proceed to the landfill.

ARN decided to accommodate the trash at the landfill in Binaliw after operation of the private landfill in Consolacion was suspended.

The decision, however, was met with opposition from residents in Binaliw who complained of foul odor emanating from the landfill. The residents even launched a signature campaign to have the landfill closed.

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office and the Solid Waste Management Board found that ARN has been complying with sanitation requirements but the private haulers also need to be regulated as the foul odor is emitted during transport. (FREEMAN)