URDANETA CITY–The first engineered sanitary landfill in Pangasinan and only the second of its kind in Region 1 was inaugurated here last Friday with President Benigno Aquino III hailing the project as a testament to what a local government unit (LGU) can achieve.

The President lauded the city government of Urdaneta for building its own sanitary landfill on its own initiative.

Aquino said that Urdaneta City proved that the construction of an engineered sanitary landfill is possible, which is in contrast to other LGUs who seem to have the wrong notion that anything that involves garbage is dirty.

The project, Aquino said, also amply showed that LGUs can reap the benefits of modernization without endangering the environment and the health of the people.

The landfill, funded from a P220 million loan obtained by the city from the Land Bank of the Philippines, will be able to handle the 20-ton compacted garbage of the city and another 20-ton from other cities and towns.

The project is in compliance to Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act, which requires all LGUs to close open dumpsites and develop sanitary landfills.

The Urdaneta landfill, initiated by former Mayor Amadeo Perez Jr. in 2010 and continued by his son, incumbent Mayor Amadeo Perez IV, is located on an 18-hectare property owned by the city in Sitio Calegu, Barangay Catablan, near the boundary with Sta. Barbara and Mapandan towns.

The sanitary landfill site includes the original six-hectare old open dumpsite of the city which was already closed and an additional adjacent 12- hectare lot bought by the city.

The city government explained that the P220 million-construction cost included the infrastructure support acquisition of additional lots and the construction of an access road leading to the site.

CAPACITY

Initially, the sanitary landfill covers just a total area of six hectares with a total volume capacity sufficient to accommodate Urdaneta’s solid waste for the next 10 to 12 years.

The other areas within the site will be utilized when the initial six-hectare structure is filled up.

“That is why, I salute Mayor Perez for responding to the needs of his constituents and also to those in other localities like Baguio and Dagupan cities, Mapandan, Sta. Barbara and Pozorrubio who will also set to be benefited,” he said.

Urdaneta City will charge other LGUs dumping their solid wastes in its engineered sanitary landfill.

The state-of the art project consists of an impermeable HDPE (high density polyethelene) liner over compacted clay, two lawyers of geosynthetic membrane, gravel filter layer, HDPE leachate collection and transfer piping system, pumping station, leachate treatment pond, weighbridge with support truck scale house, wheel wash facility, storm pond to control silt migration, groundwater monitoring wells and an administrative building with an appropriate parking area.—LM

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