PREPARING for the closure of the open dumpsite, the Dagupan City Waste Management Division (WMD) has launched an information and education campaign on proper waste management starting in the city’s barangays.

Teddy Villamil, WMD Consultant, said the campaign is necessary to significantly reduce the daily volume of wastes in the barangays starting with residents of Pugaro, Carael, Salapingao, Calmay, and Lomboy.

The campaign teaches not only proper waste segregation, but how to restore their respective material recovery facilities (MRF).

“The MRFs have been on a hiatus, nagiging tambakan na siya, at hindi nagagawa yung purpose”, he said.

The city government has long been planning the closure of the dumpsite, in accordance with the Republic Act 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act – which mandates the closure and rehabilitation of dumpsites.

 “The law also mandates waste segregation in barangays and collection of residual wastes that refers to by-products that cannot be recycled”, said Villamil.

Based on estimates, 8% of the city’s daily produced garbage is residual waste. Recyclables make up 48%, while compostables are 44%.

In an earlier statement by Mayor Brian Lim, around 70 metric tons of mixed garbage is being produced by the city daily.

“With this volume, the area covered by the dumpsite grew from 2.5 hectares to 4.5 hectares in a span of six years”, he said.

With this, he aims to initially remove 30,000 metric tons of garbage near the shoreline in order to prevent it from spilling into the sea.

The previous Fernandez administration had opted to pursue a Waste to Worth facility to resolve the waste disposal problem at the 50-year dumpsite. However, it is not clear if the Lim administration will continue to pursue it.  (Ahikam Pasion/CIO)

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