City eyes strict waste segregation policy

• Source: http://palawan-news.com/city-eyes-strict-waste-segregation-policy/
• Wednesday, July 5, 2017

By Gerardo Reyes Jr.

Starting July, the city government will start imposing fines and citation tickets against residents and establishments failing to properly segregate their waste materials.

The City environment and natural resources office (City ENRO) said the measure is part of the local government’s drive to strictly enforce a “no segregation, no collection” policy in accordance with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

“Manghuhuli na tayo, at i-enforce na talaga ang batas tungkol d’yan,” Mary Ann Joylle Madriñan, senior environmental management specialist of the City ENRO, said.

Madriñan said they have already conducted an information and education campaign (IEC) and distributed reading materials about the RA 9003 in barangays in preparation for the law’s strict implementation.

“On the part of the garbage collection, they should refuse to collect unsegregated wastes, kasi ‘yan ang nakasaad sa batas,” she said.

She explained that non-segregation of wastes contributes to pollution of the environment and that mixed wastes in an open landfill is capable of emitting greenhouse gases, toxic fumes, and particulate matters which are harmful.

She added that mixed wastes likewise emit methane which is twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide and is very harmful to the environment.

She pointed out that the city collects garbage twice a day in all 35 urban barangays, and twice a month in rural barangays.

The city’s sanitary landfill (SLF) located in barangay Sta. Lourdes is the first SLF to operate in the country.

She pointed out that most of the city’s barangays already have their respective materials recovery facility (MRF) for recyclable resources that can still be useful such as bottles, plastic, used boxes, newspapers.

She added however that there are barangays especially the urban barangays whose MRFs are not functional.

She noted that the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) that collection of unsegregated wastes is a violation of RA 9003 and that the city stands to face face sanctions for failing to implement the law.

RA 9003 states that LGUs shall be primarily responsible for the implementation and enforcement of this Act within their respective jurisdictions.

The City previously tried to strictly implement its “no collection” policy in November last year but this was discontinued when there was a change in administration under Luis Marcaida III.