Only 1 of 7 landfills follows the law

CEBU, Philippines - “Only Bayawan City (Negros Oriental) among the seven landfills in Region 7 is following the law exactly to the limit,” according to Engr. Amancio Dongcoy, Regional Solid Waste Management coordinator, during the forum of the Association of Government Information Officers yesterday.

“It has a liner standard design, thus not allowing the throwing of bio or toxic waste. Other landfills are accepting bio waste, which is wrong,” said Dongcoy.

He said that of the 132 dumpsites in Central Visayas, only seven are landfills and these are in Cebu City, Talisay City, and in the towns of Dalaguete, Asturias, Cordova and Consolacion, the last two of which are privately operated.

Dongcoy said Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 mandates the adoption of a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program, including the putting up of a sanitary landfill.

If sanitary landfill is followed, it is not a problem that it would produce liquid, because when it rains, it would not be a pollutant, said Dongcoy, adding that it takes strong political will from the mayors to implement the law.

He further cited Talisay City (Cebu) Mayor Socrates Fernandez who heeded to the suggestion of not accepting truckloads of bio wastes to the city landfill.

Dongcoy however said that landfill is very expensive, so an LGU can instead focus on segregation and composting. There are 695 out of 3,003 barangays in Region 7 are into composting, he said.

In Medellin town (Cebu), Mayor Ricardo Ramirez also made changes in waste disposal. The town’s dumpsite now has many compost pits and there are no more trash scattered around the market, said Dongcoy.

In Cebu province, there are 15 out of 52 towns that are doing composting, he added. —(FREEMAN)