Over 6,000 violators arrested for non-segregation of waste

The drive to clean up Cebu City is gaining strength as the Cebu Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team already apprehended 6,869 violators for the past five months, or an average of 55 apprehensions a day. Engr. Samuel Dy, CESET chairman said that 170 of these 6,869 individuals were already charged before the court, wherein 15 had already paid fines through court order.

A total of 907 paid the compromise fee of P500 while the rest of the violators opted to render a one-day community service like cleaning up the city's coastal areas and planting trees in areas identified by the Department of Public Services.

CESET is strictly implementing and enforcing City Ordinance 2031 which mandates for the implementation of solid waste segregation at source.

Since July 1, the city government initiated the "No Segregation, No Collection" policy. Violators who cannot pay the P500 penalty have to render community service by cleaning areas designated by the DPS.

City ordinance 2031 prohibits the disposal of wastes that are not segregated as biodegradable, non-biodegradable, reusable, hazardous and bulky wastes. Under the said ordinance, violators shall pay a fine of not less than P1,000 or shall face imprisonment of not less than one month to not more than six months or both at the discretion of the court.

However, as provided for by the ordinance, a violator may opt to settle his or her liabilities by paying an out-of-court compromise fee of P500 upon application of the violator and approval of the city mayor or any of his authorized representatives. - Mitchelle P. Calipayan