TACLOBAN CITY (CIO) — The Tacloban City Council has scheduled a public hearing on a proposed measure that will discourage the use of ‘single-use plastic’ to protect the environment and reduce the waste being dump at the City’s newly-opened Sanitary Landfill. The public hearing scheduled on Tuesday, October 29 at 9:00 am will be led by the Committee on Environmental Protection and Waste Management of the City Council.

Environmental Committee Chairperson Councilor Aimee Grafil said that the Public Hearing will be held at the Session Hall of the Sangguniang Panlungsod to get the opinion of the public on the proposed Plastic-Free Ordinance.

“The ordinance has been crafted. The purpose of the Public Hearing is to present to the public the proposed ordinance and to get their comments and suggestions para hit igkakaupay pa han ordinansa (for the enhancement of the ordinance), “she added.

It was learned that the proposed ordinance is lined with the 3-phase Solid Waste Management Plan of the local government under Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez that seeks to improve its garbage collection and segregation at source to protect the environment and reduce the cost of solid waste disposal.

The plan likewise intends to extend the holding capacity of the Sanitary landfill which was opened last February and impose stricter penalties provided under RA 9003 (or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act), on uncooperative residents and derelict garbage contractors.

Businesses and schools and other private establishments will be tapped for the new campaign that will have a massive information drive.

According to a recent Waste Characterization Study, an average of 113 tons of trash is collected in Tacloban daily; 65% of which is biodegradable and 22% of it is residual. Non-recyclable residual waste should end up at the landfill. -H.J. Roca/CIO

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