City embarks on 10-year integrated solid waste management plan

ILOILO CITY – The city government here has embarked on a 10-year integrated solid waste management plan duly approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with the main purpose of addressing the problem on increasing solid waste volume and meeting the requirements of Republic Act 9003.

The city legal office issued this response to a complaint letter submitted by Atty. Frances Shanelle Salinas of the Global Legal Action on Climate Change (GLACC) and Freedom from Debt Coalition dated July 16, 2009 that also “threatened to file legal action against the city government for failing to comply with the law on solid wastes.”

City legal officer Edgardo Gil said the 2005-2015 integrated solid waste management plan was prepared by the Iloilo City solid waste management board (ICSWMB) on November 2005 which defines “the closure of the city’s 9-hectare open dumps, the establishment of a 10-hectare sanitary landfill and a 3-hectare material recovery facility (MRF).

The plan also contains extensive surveys relative to waste management, characterization of garbage, strategies and improvements and others.

Gil said that the daily garbage of more than 170 metric tons of garbage from the markets, residential areas, hospitals, schools, business district and other areas that generate garbage are collected and dumped into the new dumpsite at the back portion of the 62-hectare City-owned dumpsite in Brgy. Calajunan, Mandurriao district.

On June 15, 2007, the DENR Environmental Management board has issued an Authority to close (ATC) of the open dump facility consisting of 23 hectares based on proposed safe closure and rehabilitation plan of the city.

From the time of issuance of the ATC, the city government has then continued to implement the closure and rehabilitation of the old dumpsite and establishment of a transitional dumpsite which will serve as an area fr fresh garbage while the old dumpsite is being closed.

This was also explained by the DENR-EMB in their reply to Atty. Norberto J. Posecion on July 9, 2009 regarding the same query on the Calajunan dumpsite.

Even prior to the P90 million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines in 2007 for dumpsite projects, the city government has already started construction of entrance ad perimeter concrete fencing, clearing of 5,008 square meters for the rehabilitation of the old MRF and composting facility, and the construction of concrete roads for the period 2003-2007.

by Lydia C. Pendon