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The City Environment and Natural Resources Office informed all barangay captains of Puerto Princesa that within a month, waste collectors will no longer collect unsegregated solid waste in compliance with existing environmental laws.
Speaking before the barangay captains during the Liga ng mga Barangay Assembly, Senior Environmental Management Specialist Mary Ann Joylle M. Madriñan said that the city government is now compelled to enforce the environmental laws to ensure proper and environment-friendly waste management and disposal.
“Within one month, e-reject na ng waste collector kung ang inyong basura ay hindi segregated. This is the proper time na tayo’y mag-uusap patungkol sa waste management natin,” she said.
She explained that the city will train the waste collectors of the Solid Waste Management Program in preparation for the implementation of segregated collection of solid wastes. After their training, segregated collection will immediately start.
Republic Act 9003 also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 provides that there should be segregated collection and the city government will collect residual waste only from every households, establishments, etc.
“Dapat residual wastes lang ang kinokolekta ng city. Ano ba ang gusto natin ma-attain. Na dapat properly segregated ang mga basura natin,” she said.
She explained that based on the waste analysis and characterization studies (WACS) in the city sometime in 2015, half of it or 50 percent solid wastes are biodegradable, 26 percent are recyclable while only 23 percent are residual. With this, zero waste is very much attainable in the city.
Madriñan further said that they will provide copies to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) particularly those who are compliant barangays.
The city government was also subjected to strict monitoring and evaluation by national government agencies such as the DILG, Commission on Audit (COA), the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Ombudsman, and other government agencies, reminding the city to properly implement the environmental laws including RA 9003.
