Tagbilaran City will build a temporary waste transfer station that will cater to its over 100,000 residents in 15 barangays, the city’s top environment official said on Thursday, a day after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) shut down the city’s open dumpsite for committing violations.

The opening of the new facility will allow the local government unit to resume garbage collection, which was suspended after the closure of the city’s open dump.

Cesar Pelaez, officer-in-charge of Tagbilaran’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) said that the facility will be established in a 200-square-meter lot in Barangay Cabawan.

Construction and assembly of the facility will start on Friday, he said.

“Kini siya magsubay sa mga lagda sa mga rekisitos na dili makadaot sa atong kalikupan. Didto nato e-abot atong mga basura. At the same, adto pud ang collection pagahimuon, pag-sorting sa mga basura,” Pelaez said.

A canvass will be installed in the facility to hold and cover the wastes to prevent leachate from leaking out.

“Kung naa man ganiy mga eventual na mga katas kay di man g’yud na malikayan, ma saw’d na siya didto sa atong canvass,” he added.

Mayor Baba Yap meanwhile called on residents to practice “segregation at source” as the local government unit will only collect residual wastes upon resumption of garbage collection.

The city previously imposed the segregation policy but the initiative was not maintained.

“Mo estrikto na g’yud ta pag-ayo,” said Yap. “Mas tarungon pa nato, mas lig-unon pa nato.”

According to Yap, the LGU was already planning to shut down the open dump site and convert it into a materials-recovery facility even prior to the forced closure imposed by the DENR.

“Naunhan lang ta kay naa may mga reklamo sa pikas side,” Yap said without elaborating.

On Wednesday, DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny Antiporda personally padlocked Tagbilaran City’s open dumpsite in Barangay Dampas.

Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 strictly prohibits the operation of open dumpsites.

Antiporda also found leachates, or excess liquid, coming from the trash, at the site.

“Grabe yung leachate. Ngayon lang ako [nakakita] ng ganitong open dump na grabe ang leachate,” he said. (RT)