ILOILO – The P408-million Passi City Integrated Waste Management Facility located in Barangay Aglalana started operating on July 9.
Five towns – Dingle, Janiuay, Igbaras, Tubungan and Bingawan – have started dumping their residual wastes into the sanitary landfill, according to Mitzi Peñaflorida, senior environment management specialist of Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office.
“Sige-sige na ina ang accept sang basura from those municipalities nga nag-sign sang MOA (memorandum of agreement),” Peñaflorida told Panay News.
The MOA included the bidding, payment process, accreditation of vehicles and dump truck entering the landfill.
Other LGUs that signed MOAs but still lacked needed documents included Oton, Zarraga, Badiangan, Cabatuan, Calinog, Mina, Pototan, Anilao, Banate, Barotac Nuevo, Dueñas, Dumangas, San Enrique, Ajuy, Balasan, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Carles, Concepcion, Lemery, San Dionisio, San Rafael, and Sara.
Peñaflorida enjoined LGUs to make sure that only residual wastes are being disposed of in the area.
“Gina-emphasize man naton segregation halin sa different sources kay dasig lang mapuno ang one cell kon halos tanan nga basura ang i-dump,” added Peñaflorida.
A sanitary landfill is a solid waste management facility that utilizes an engineered method of waste disposal, primarily for municipal solid waste.
An “engineered” method of landfilling means the garbage is handled at a disposal facility that is designed, constructed and operated in a manner protective of public health and the environment.
Passi City’s sanitary landfill was supposed to operate by the last week of April but the construction was delayed as well as the processing of documents of the 28 cluster towns due to restrictions brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
Construction of Passi City’s sanitary landfill started in October 2019.
It can accommodate 200 to 375 tons of residual waste daily.
The BEST is the entity in-charge of the construction and operation of the sanitary landfill. It estimates that the facility would be fully loaded after seven years.
“Bawal ang open dumps for solid waste,” Peñaflorida stressed, reiterating Section 37 of Republic Act 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000), “thus the need nga maka-operate dayun ang sanitary landfill.”/PN
