Puerto Princesa city’s solid wastes already reached 150 tons daily compared to only 120 tons daily previously, underscoring the urgent need for segregation of wastes to properly manage solid wastes.
Allan Barte, assigned at the city’s sanitary landfill (SLF) said during an inspection and technical conference of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) that the daily collected solid wastes from urban barangays and hauled to the SLF in Barangay Sta. Lourdes has increased.
“Aabot na tayo ngayon ng 150 tons. Nakikita ko na mag-increase pa yan, kasi ang mga recyclables ay dinadala na rin sa taas (SLF), para malaman kong gaano karaming recyclables natin,” he said.
He said that one urban barangay, Brgy. Sta. Monica’s solid waste reached 10 tons daily for three to four trips in a day.
“Sa Sta. Monica mas mabilis ang collection dapat kasi aabot na sya ng 10 tons per day,” he added.
Barte admitted that the solid wastes could have significantly reduced if segregation at source are done at the household level, or strictly enforce. He said that most of the wastes from the urban barangays are not segregated.
On the contrary, solid wastes coming from rural barangays are properly segregated. They collected wastes from rural barangays on weekly basis only, or some barangays are only twice or thrice monthly, thus its solid wastes are residual wastes and not mixed wastes collected from the residents in the urban barangays of the city.
“Ang ibang barangay ay hindi daily ang collections. By schedule lang ito sila. Ang iba weekly, may three times a month rin. Itong mga trucks, tuyo ang dump box kung galing sa mga rural barangays. Hindi mixed wastes ang nakukuha sa rural barangays kundi ito ay segregated na. From Langogan pababa ng Bacungan ay kasama yan sa rural barangays” Barte said.
Engr. Jovenee Sagun, city planning and development coordinator said that it is the responsibility of the barangay to reduce wastes. Based on the approved Ten-Year Solid Waste Management Plan of the city, the bulk of diversion role is vested on the barangay.
Mary Ann Joylle M. Madriñan, senior environmental management specialist of the city government said that they will work to formulate strategies to efficiently implement sound waste management.
“Tayo sa City ENRO ay mag-formulate ng strategies kasama sa bagong program manager ng Solid Waste Management,” she said.
The new program manager of the SWM program is Richard Ligad, the city’s information officer.