• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Garbage collection in Bacolod City has surged to nearly double its standard daily volume, driven by non-compliance with waste segregation and improper disposal.
Councilor Homer Bais, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Environment, said July 23 that daily waste collection has reached 1,500 to 2,000 cubic meters per day.
The figure exceeds the 800-cubic-meter daily baseline established in the city’s service contract with the International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialists Inc.
“Because mixed waste is what gets collected, sad to say, segregation at source is still not happening. It should be at the barangay MRF (materials recovery facility) where we can separate biodegradable from non-biodegradable and recyclable waste. This compounded into a major problem, which is why we are now facing a huge issue with our garbage,” Bais said.
The hearing was attended by representatives from the Zero Waste Alliance Negros, a coalition of 21 civil society organizations.
The advocates raised concerns over conditions at the sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa, particularly the persistent foul odor.
Alliance secretariat Katherine Dela Cruz said that landfill odor is a symptom of a broader failure to comply with Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
“Hopefully, the city will resolve the foul odor issue and other concerns, including the lack of ECC (environmental compliance certificates) of Cell No. 4 in the Barangay Felisa landfill,” she said.
Bais also acknowledged the concerns regarding the lack of ECC. “We have to admit, when we assumed office, that is really what happened: no ECC. According to the discussion last time, the ECC for Cell No. 4 is about to come out.”
However, he said he expects the required clearances to be issued before Cell No. 5 becomes operational.
Bais assured green groups and stakeholders that joint discussions will continue to establish long-term solutions to the city’s waste management operations, adding that he wants to explore zero waste advocacy. | TMD
