Fire hits landfill again

CEBU, Philippines - Fire struck in three garbage cells of Inayawan Sanitary Landfill for four hours yesterday triggering Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to order an investigation and to call on the City Council to hasten the deliberation of the proposed Waste-to-Energy Gasification Facility that will remediate the landfill and solve the garbage problem of the city.

Landfill Manager Randy Navarro said that the fire started past 3 a.m. and was put out at 7:45 a.m.

Navarro said they suspect the fire was set intentionally by people who want to recover rubber tires buried in the mound of garbage. The rubber tires, which are hidden underneath the pile of garbage, are reportedly sold for P10 per kilo.

“Mas dali man gud makuha ang rubber tires kung matangtang na ang plastic sa ibabaw. Mas mahal man kung ibaligya ang rubber tires, (It is easier to retrieve the rubber tires once the plastic on top is removed. Rubber tires are more expensive.)” he said.

It is however not the first time the landfill was set on fire. Several incidents were reported this year and last year.

The biggest fire in the landfill in the last five years was in April 2009 and affected the surrounding communities. The build-up of methane gas is one of factors that trigger combustion.

Rama ordered the investigation on the cause of fire and said the city should not dwell on the suspicion that some people are behind the incident.

He said that the City Council should instead approve the WTE project proposed by the Greenergy Solutions Inc. (GSI) that he believes would solve the problem of the city.

“Kinahanglan paspasan nila na (They should speed up the approval). They ought to approve it unless they have a better proposal,” Rama said.

The mayor said the executive department can see the advantages in the proposal of GSI to put up a WTE facility in the landfill that will remediate the whole landfill and take care of the city’s garbage in the next 25 years.

The proposed project will not cost the city government a single centavo.

He said that the proposal was recommended by the Solid Waste Management Board and a study has been conducted long ago to prove that the project is feasible.

Rama is set to meet with the board and concerned personnel this morning to find out the city’s status on its solid waste program.

And while the city still has no concrete plans for its waste problem, Rama ordered to place barrels of water in the landfill to be used in putting out the fire.

He said GSI is not a fly-by-night company. The project will not be undertaken by GSI alone but a consortium of foreign companies prominent on investing and implementing green technologies.

The proposed WTE proposal will remediate the 15.41-hectare landfill by processing and converting the 1.8 million residual waste at the landfill into energy and other useful end-products.

It will also take care of the disposal of the 500 tons of daily generated garbage of the city for the next 25 years.

Navarro said that the landfill in Consolacion where the city diverts its garbage is already almost full when the second cell is not finished yet. He said the city may not be able to dump garbage in Consolacion soon.

“Asa man ta padung kung mahitabo na? Kinahanglan na gyud nga atong i-pursue ang WTE facility (Where will we go when that happens? We need to pursue the WTE facility.),” Navarro said.

The proposal is now in the council. The proposed contract needs the concurrence of the council and authority before the Mayor can sign.

The project will cost about P4 billion but it will be shouldered by GSI and its foreign partners.

In less than two years once the contract is signed, GSI promised that the first phase of the facility will be operational . - THE FREEMAN