Yes to sustainable waste management!

The recent Inayawan waste mess was, again, yet another eye opener reminding everyone that every problem has a cause and a solution, every crisis, a new opportunity beyond the trials.

So much to review, so much information to gather to understand why Cebu City wastes is back in Inayawan. And so much to look forward, to averting another such mess again, and hopefully, finally, to a genuine sustainable waste management system for Cebu City!

Even if the city wastes may once again be collected, disposed of and channeled first through the Inayawan transfer station, then allowed for disposal in Binaliw, upon complete payment to and approval of ANR, there is still, however, the urgency to review the present waste management policy, practice and budget of the city.

There is also the more important urgency to draw and implement a more comprehensive, sustainable, cost- and eco-friendly solution of Cebu City’s waste problem that will benefit people and the environment and not contribute to global warming.

Please remember we are given only till 2030 to save our world from climate crisis!

Vice Mayor Mike Rama may want to proceed with his proposed Waste Summit soonest?

Perhaps the summit can proceed to answer this question; did the past and does the present Cebu City waste management system secure public health and well-being and protect and generate ecology?

If no, what is the point in continuing this? If the people and the environment are not benefitted, then who are benefitting?

It will be good to ensure that the proposed Waste Summit be participatory and multisectoral. All should contribute to effective, comprehensive, and sustainable waste management.

For the Waste Summit, the city government should require the DPS and CENRO to provide past and present waste management data to include waste volume and characterization per barangay and for the whole city, waste budget across years, total and disaggregated by expense item, waste contracts, contents and criteria for selecting contractors (and list of contractors and amount awarded), list of junk shops and other recycling shops/stores, among other data.

Major waste producers and generators, business and industry (malls, factories), hospitals, churches/congregations and other institutions and offices (schools/universities) as well as barangays should also be asked to join and share their waste management data and practice.

Proponents of various types of waste management, those advocating a continuation of the collection-disposal system and those who want to propose an alternative sustainable system should be asked to present their advocacy and data as well.

Meanwhile, if there is still P100-million-plus waste budget left for this year, perhaps the city government can decide or the public can clamor to halt payment to the hauling contractor for contract violations and causing risks to public health and the environment?

The public should also clamor to have a significant portion of that budget to jumpstart an alternative waste management system with the barangays, sectors and institutions as focal stakeholders for waste segregation/collection/ disposal.

Waste segregation can reduce waste volume and result, among others, to immediate less costs for waste transport/collection/disposal, to creative/productive recycling/reuse of items, to alternative sources of employment, income/savings/livelihood to barangays/ other participating sectors/ institutions, and to cleaner/healthier communities and environment.

DPS can be tasked to strictly be in-charge of properly collecting and disposing of hospital and other special wastes.

The public should also demand that any further supplementary waste budget not be released to any contractor but instead be allocated to trial run an alternative, more sustainable waste management system.

If successful, then the city will have responsible management and reduction of waste, earn rather than spend millions from waste, and have more participating stakeholders and stewards protecting people, communities and the environment!