Calbayog Sanitary Landfill, 95% complete and one of the bests in the Philippines or Asia

By GINA DEAN-RAGUDO, Samar News.com
October 26, 2010

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar  –  Calbayog City Sanitary Landfill is almost 95% complete and could be used anytime but no mixed garbage should be dumped in the facility said City Solid Waste Management Officer Reynaldo Gonzaga.

“I will not allow mixed garbage to be dumped because it will shorten the life span of the landfill,” stressed Gonzaga. Waste segregation should be done in the barangay level while the city’s obligation is the collection of residual wastes.

Part of Section 10 of Republic Act 9003 says that “segregation and collection of solid waste shall be conducted at the barangay level specifically for biodegradable, compostable and reusable wastes: Provided, that the collection of non-recyclable materials and special wastes shall be the responsibility of the municipality or city.”

Gonzaga said that 60% of the garbage is biodegradable and among the 157 barangays in Calbayog, 14 have MRF (Material Recovery Facility). Collections are regularly conducted in the 22 barangays inclusive the daily routine in commercial areas of the city.

As provided in Sec.17 (c), the barangay shall be responsible for ensuring that 100% collection efficiency from residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural sources, where necessary within its area of coverage, is achieved.

The 4.9 hectares sanitary landfill which is located in Brgy. Dinagan this city is an LGU Calbayog- JICA (Japanese International Cooperative Agency) project which has an initial expenditure of P48M for phase 1, said Gonzaga. There is a need to construct the composting facility and purchase additional equipment for the maintenance of the project, he added.

He further disclosed that with the high CDS (Community Development Strategy) compliance of Calbayog, there is a big possibility that the World Bank will invest for the construction of composting facility. It however depends on the acceptability level of the city.

In region 8 and in the whole Philippines or Asia, only Calbayog has been considered as the best sanitary landfill; thereby following the technical design of JICA compared to Davao and Sagay cities, Gonzaga said.

With the help of the Department of Interior and Local Government, he was hopeful that barangay forums would be conducted after October 25 elections. A tour at the sanitary landfill was one of his plans to strengthen their advocacy programs.

In another development, CSMO Gonzaga is set to deliver a lecture-presentation on Sanitary Landfill Establishment in the forthcoming 4th Eastern Visayas Regional Ecology Center - 8 Annual Solid Waste Management Summit on October 27-28, 2010 at the DPWH Multi-Purpose Hall, Government Center, Palo, Leyte.

The invitation was initiated by the Environmental Management Bureau RO-8. Bearing the theme “The ABCs of Solid Waste Management: Partnering with academe, barangays, and communities to improve awareness, behavior and compliance, the summit expects local chief executives, ENROs (Environment and Natural Resources Officer) and SWMOs (Solid Waste Management Officer), barangay captains or Liga Presidents, SK officials, SB members preferably committee chairs on environment and finance to participate.