Garbage collection in Tagbilaran City resumed on Monday but apparent neglect from residents who still have not segregated their wastes caused trash to remain piled up along city streets or uncollected from homes.
City Solid Waste Management Office chief Lito Taladua said that only “40 percent” of residents’ trash given to collectors or left on streets were residual wastes as of Monday afternoon while the rest were “mixed” garbage, indicating that many were still not practicing segregation at source.
“Either way disiplina or misinformed… Ang term ‘gapakasayon.’ Way effort,” said Taladua. “Way galihok sa barangay na mao untay mo pahibaw nila.”
However, the barangays supposedly covered by garbage collection for early Monday were only Booy, Dao/Lindaville Phase 1, Dampas, Mansasa and Taloto, based on the schedule released by the Tagbilaran City local government.
As mandated, city garbage collectors will only take in residual wastes.
The city recently made national and local headlines after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) shut down its open dumpsite on Wednesday last week, prompting local authorities to suspend garbage collection.
Open dumpsites are strictly prohibited under Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Images of trash left out along key streets in the city made rounds on social media while garbage collection was halted last week, but Tagbilaran City Mayor Baba Yap has assured the public that the wastes have been collected.
According to Taladua, they had to increase their workload by “five-fold” after they collected the unsegregated trash left on the streets during the suspension.
“Pag-sira sa [dumpsite], after adto mga two nights, gipamilin ang mga basura sa kalsada so atong gi-rescue pero ga-sorting ta hantod karon sa [Barangay] Cabawan,” said Taladua on Monday. “Sobra pa sa langan. Dili ra doble atong trabaho, ikalima gi pilo-pilo ang atong trabaho.”
The city government has reminded the public that it will only collect trash classified as residual and special/hazardous wastes and that garbage should no longer be left out on the streets.
It has also issued a schedule for the collection of the said wastes.
The local government identified the following materials as residuals which will be collected: cigarettes butts, thin film plastics, diapers, sanitary napkins, tissue, Styrofoam products, wrappers for food, candy and busicuits, composite laminates, tetra packs, shampoo and laundry sachets, textile trimmings, rags, leather trimmings, worn-out bags, shoues and slippers, broken ceramics and inserts.
According to Taladua, residents who hand over mixed trash will be urged to segregate their wastes so these may be collected in the next scheduled collection.
Taladua lamented that if they collect unsegregated trash, they do not have a dumpsite or a facility where they could dispose or store it.
“Og ato ng kolektahon asa mana pa-ingon, asa nato ilabay, asa nato e-stock,” he said. (R. Tutas)