Landfill road ordered cleared by Oct. 17

THE Solid Waste Management Board in Cebu City is compelling waste recycling operators to clean up the White Road that leads to the Inayawan Landfill by October 17.

Lawyer Janeses Ponce, head of the SWMB said he met with the operators to ask them to comply with the order of Mayor Michael Rama for proper storage and disposal of recyclable materials taken from the landfill.

Present in the meeting were members of the SWMB with Engr. Amancio S. Dongcoy, Regional SWM Coordinator of Environmental Management Bureau-7 (EMB-7), and Mayor Rama.

Recyclers also agreed during the meeting to plant trees by the roadside leading to Inayawan Landfill.

They also vowed stricter enforcement of environmental laws especially the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003), and continuing education and training of waste pickers in the area and neighboring communities.

SWMB said that they are hoping to “finally see a no non-sense clean-up and beautification of White Road.”

The operators signed the commitment of support for Task Force Panindot.

The task force was formed recently by the mayor.

It is composed of recycling business operators in White Road and barangay officials of Inayawan.

In an Aug. 31 report to City Hall, the EMB-7 noted that the road leading to the landfill is congested with materials being collected by recyclers.

It also noted ineffeciencies in the handling of waste in the landfill resulting in accumulation of waste there instead of being just a transhipment point for garbage diverted to a private landfill in Consolacion town.

In compliance with RA 9003, the Inayawan landfill was closed in December last year but only 40 percent of the city’s trash is diverted to Consolacion; the rest end up in the landfill.