About two weeks to the Nth deadline, and after having been issued a fifth warning by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Dumaguete has yet to find a five-hectare land that would contain only residual (non-biodegradable and non-recyclable) waste.
Add to that the cost of setting up the facility to the tune of P375 million.
The warnings to finally shut down the Gene V. Duran Ecological Park and Dumpsite beside the Banica River, which were issued to City Hall since 2006, seem to have fallen either on deaf ears or helpless administrations. Adding to the dilemma is that while everyone wants a new dumpsite, no one wants it right next to their backyard.
Armand Adanza, coordinator of the Integrated Solid Waste Management program of the City Environment & Natural Resources Office, announced in a briefing to students that aside from the closure of the city dump, our barangay tanods — who have been deputized by the City — will begin knocking on our doors by Oct. 15 to check on the mandated “waste segregation at source”.
Meaning, each household or business establishment will have to seriously, if they haven’t done so yet, segregate their wastes: 1) biodegradable (kitchen waste, paper, leather), 2) non-biodegradable (ALL plastics, styrofoam, tires, tetra packs), 3) recyclable (paper, glass, bottles, cans, metals, clothes), 4) hazardous/toxic (paint, light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, spray cans, fertilizers, pesticides/chemicals), and 5) residual (diapers, shoes, broken bottles, rugs, stuff that can’t be used anymore).
By Oct. 15 this year, the dumpsite will be converted to a Materials Recovery Facility which will only accept recyclable wastes. Everyone will then be responsible for segregating their garbage right in their own homes.
Now don’t say no one warned you. (Guest editorial by: Susanah Lapa/SU Environmental Journalism)
