GTZ lauds city best practice on solid waste management

The German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) has observed and lauded three best practices of the city government here in solving its solid waste management problem.

This was disclosed by Dr. Johannes Paul, team leader of the GTZ-AHT SWM4LGUs support project which rendered technical to the city on its solid waste management program.

Dr. Paul said the city government, in cooperation with the private sector, has one of the best approaches in recycling of garbage starting from the organization of waste pickers, factory of useful products made from recycled garbage, and junkshops organization.

The city has also an comprehensive community-based recycling program that allow usually slum dwellers to gather and sell recycled materials, including the solid waste fair conducted every month in cooperation with a shopping mall here that encourages waste segregation and reuse of recycled materials.

The city has also a material recovery program to fuel such as the compacted garbage sent to Holcim plant to fuel the cement plant in Lugait, Mizamis Oriental. This cooperation with Holcim was able to take out more than 30 percent of the old garbage at the Calajunan dumpsite.

The GTZ official said that the city is maintaining a solid waste management center or a controlled dumpsite at Brgy. Calajunan, Mandurriao district on its way to fulfill a program on sanitary landfill at the same site.

On the other hand, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau (DENR_EMB) is celebrating the Environment Awareness Month on November 18 and the Western Visayas Solid Waste Management Summit on November 19-20, 2009

EMB Reg. Dir. Oscar Cabanayan said the Regional Ecology Center 6 spearheads the twin celebrations to be held at the Robinsons Place Iloilo.

With the theme: “Environmental Education Our Challenge to Act on Climate Change,” the celebration will focus on legislations mandated for the implementation and compliance of Republic Act 9003 or the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, Republic Act 9512 or the Philippine Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008 and the recent Republic Act 9729 or the Philippine Climate Change Act of 2009.