Cebu City eyes trash facility in Naga City

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City is eyeing using the Material Recovery Facility in Naga City’s “ecopark” for its trash, but nothing as yet is final.

Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong yesterday admitted that when they met in the Capitol last week, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama told him that he is interested is using Naga’s private MRF. There is, however, no formal negotiation yet, said Chiong.

“Okay ra man na pero dili madali-dali kay kinahanglan pa i-set up ang mga facilities para ana,” Chiong added.

The five-hectare facility in the mountain barangay of Osog is run by private firm Fdr-Con Comp. Inc. Chiong said like in the case of Minglanilla town which is scheduled to use the facility next month, Fdr-Con has built additional facilities for the said local government unit.

Chiong explained the ecopark was originally built to process Naga’s waste which is between 20 to 25 tons per day. And although Fdr-Con can accommodate additional waste from other areas, it has to establish additional facilities first, he said.

Last year, Naga City entered into a memorandum of agreement with Fdr-Con allowing the latter to manage its waste. Under the MOA, the private firm collects the city’s waste and segregates it at the ecopark. Naga pays P750 for each ton of collected garbage.

But Chiong said the fee varies depending on the distance trash has to travel. If Cebu City uses the facility it may have to pay a bigger fee, he said.

Rama said that the Naga proposal was an offer from Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Cebu City Councilor Nida Cabrera said that they have visited the private MRF in Naga but it failed in the feasibility study because it can only accommodate 50 tons a day. Cebu City normally produces 400 tons a day.

They also found out that this facility receives trash from neighboring towns like Minglanilla.

Cabrera said that when all the machines are in place and when all barangays are compliant with the mandate to put up their own MRFs, the city will not need to go to other towns to dump its garbage.

The city government has also been conducting regular meetings with the barangays to hear their problems and look for ways how the city may intervene.

Meanwhile, Cabrera said that the city is close to success in its implementation of the segregation policy and three more days are needed to put everything in order.

Different sectors have been tapped by the Cebu City Government to help in the implementation of the “No segregation, No collection” Policy following the closure for dumping of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

Rama is set to meet with School Administrators and homeowners associations in Cebu City to urge people to comply with the waste management law.

He already wrote to the Catholic Church and has met with the interfaith groups so they may be able to educate their followers during Mass.

Rama said that not only in the household level, but schools must also segregate to teach the children. — /BRP (FREEMAN)