Barangay officials of Sicsican expressed dismay after the eight steel racks they put in different sitios intended for segregated solid wastes did not serve its purpose since local residents put mixed wastes while others are not placed in proper waste bags.
Kagawad Roy Dalumpines, chairman of the Committee on Environment, explained that they distributed these fabricated racks made of steel matting to eight ( 8 ) puroks in their barangay but a few weeks later, they observed that their constituents did not use these properly.
Instead of arranging their segregated solid wastes in the rack or putting it in a wastes bags, they simply dumped their unsegregated household solid wastes there, becoming eyesores in roadsides and public areas where these racks are located.
“Nilagay po yang mga rack sa mga dinadaanan ng truck ng solid waste, pero dapat po nag-isip din yung mga nagtatapon na ilagay naman po sa sako o bag hindi po ganyang na balahura po,” he said.
One environmental management practitioner who requested not to be named said that the Barangay Sicsican has informed the purok residents prior to the distribution of the racks. He said that during information education and communication (IEC) activities, the barangay officials should have made it clear that the racks are intended for recyclable wastes only.
“We have observed that prior na nilagay ang mga racks sa mga purok, ay walang IEC. So doon palang sa knowledge at awareness ng mga residente ay kulang or wala sila. Magtatanong sila, para saan itong mga nilalagay na steel racks? Ang mga ganyang steel racks kasi, designed sya for recyclable materials, lata, PET bottle, bote ng gin, karton, plastic scrap tulad ng mga sibak. Kahit ano na mayroon pang value at binibili ng mga scrap buyers. Ang purpose nito ideally, dito pupunta ang mga informal waste pickers para magkuha ng mga recyclables,” the source said.
During one of the recent workshops participated by City Solid Waste Management program personnel, they said that Barangay Sta. Monica experienced the same problem sometime in 2022.
They said that residents put mixed solid wastes in steel racks which also become an eyesore in public places. To solve the problem, they said that they requested the barangay to have these racks pulled out.
“Ang resulta tinambakan ng mga tao ng ibat ibang klase ng basura. Kaya nakipag-coordinate kami sa Barangay, kay Kap Mong Sayang at pinapatanggal namin. Sabi namin na kung hindi tatanggalin, kakalat at kakalat, tapos may maraming aso pa,” a source from the City Solid Waste Management Program said.
One resident, Trinidad Marcelo Tamparan, said that one day she found two sacks outside her house. She thought these were newly delivered charcoal or “uling” but only to find out these sacks were household wastes left by their neighbors.
Noli Hitosis, a retired local government employee and one of the purok officials of Purok Employees Village, said that they experience the same problem in Barangay Sta. Monica where some residents irresponsibly left sacks filled with household wastes in road corners, or in front of some houses. He suggested that installing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) will help.
“Ganyan din ang problema ko dito sa may area namin likod ng PPSAT (Puerto Princesa School of Arts and Trades) wala kasing CCTV,” Hitosis said.
Ferdinand Parangue, too, said that installing CCTV for monitoring and enforcement purposes would help change the behavior of the local residents in managing their household solid wastes.
Officials warned that mismanaged unsegregated solid wastes from household’s poses threats to public health and the environment.
To solve solid waste woes, it requires concerted efforts from local residents, government, private sector stakeholders, and other partners with initiatives related to solid wastes management and circular economy, focusing on the core principles of sound management towards achieving the goal of minimizing waste generation, prevent pollution, and fostering a circular economy.
ADVERTISEMENT
