TACLOBAN CITY (CIO 1/23/2020) — The local government of Tacloban under Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez through the City Environmental and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) will strictly enforce the ‘No Segregation, No collection’ garbage policy starting February 1.

In a meeting held Wednesday at the City Hall, CENRO Head Jonathan Hijada said that effective next month, there will be strict implementation of residual waste collection in the city.

“So meaning, only residual waste will be collected by the Service Providers. Dire na kinahanglan igawas han mga mulopyo an mga madurunot, sugad man ang mga recyclables, ang igagawas nira mga residual waste lang,” he emphasized.

Residual wastes are solid non-compostable and non-recyclable materials such as sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, worn-out rags, parlor and barbershop waste, household medicine bottles, dirt from sweepings, broken ceramics, and the like.

On the other hand, Hijada believes that public needs to be disciplined for the implementation of the policy to succeed, as the said initiative is in accordance with the City Solid Waste Management Ordinance 2017-13-37.

Sections 16 and 18 of the said ordinance orders Service Providers not to collect unsegregated garbage and pick up waste materials if it does not fall on the collection schedule.

“They really need to follow because garbage management must start from the community…kasi pag nakita sa atong inspection team nga naghalu-halo an ira mga basura, there will be citation of tickets,” said the official.

Hijada likewise mentioned that the said implementation is part of the measures of the City Government to help reduce the trash being disposed at the Sanitary Land Fill (SLF) in Barangay San Roque.

Data from CENRO indicated that the SLF which was projected to last eight to 10 years is already one fourth filled up to the 5-meter mark.

In 2019, Tacloban City generated an average of 115 tons of garbage daily. For this year, Hijada hopes to target a lower volume of waste to be collected which is approximately 103 tons per day.

Also, CENRO disclosed that the volume of trash being collected usually goes up in the first quarter (January to March) and last quarter (November to December) of the year, as rainy seasons fall on the said months.

Meantime, since the ordinance has been largely ignored by some residents in the community no matter the efforts to strictly implement it, the city government has partnered with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to call the attention of barangay leaders to enforce it in their respective areas.

Accordingly, the City DILG is set to conduct a joint meeting on January 30, dubbed as ‘New Year’s Call’, to be attended by the 138 barangay Chairpersons of the City. The meeting will include a discussion on the implementation of the residual waste collection policy.

Apart from the strict implementation of residual waste collection, the local government plans to put up another composting facility in Barangay Sto. Niṅo to provide an effective solution to the garbage problem of the city. – C. Merin/CIO

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