Rehabilitation of Tagbilaran City’s former open dumpsite in Barangay Dampas which was previously shut down by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is nearing completion.
According to City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) chief Cesar Pelaez, the facility which has been converted into the city’s Central Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) will start operations on July 1.
The project is about “99 percent complete,” said Pelaez.
The facility’s structures and equipment are ready for use while only the installation of electrical wirings is still ongoing.
“Mo initial na ta og operate na by the month of May. By then, mo function na. This week mag-testing na mi sa pagpadagan sa makina,” said Pelaez.
The former open dumpsite will be used for the sorting of recyclable materials and non-recyclable waste produced by the city’s 15 barangays (villages).
A machine at the MRF will also be used to convert biodegradable wastes into hollow blocks.
“Naay atong mga shredder sa paggaling sa mga botelya, cellophane, plastic, sa mga malata na wastes ug paggama og hollow block. Naa pud tay machine na mo-compact anang mga residual before dad-on didto sa atong [Alburqurque] Sanitary Landfill,” said Pelaez.
According to Pelaez, more than P15 million was allocated for the closure and rehabilitation of the open dumpsite, with P8 million and P7 million allotted by the city government and the DENR, respectively.
In the project’s next phase, a segment of the compound will be turned into an eco-park.
In November 2019, DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporda ordered the Tagbilaran City local government unit to cease and desist the operation of its open dumpsite in Barangay Dampas.
The operation of an open dumpsite is strictly prohibited under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. (A. Doydora)