Pending SB-1 approval: Composting facility eyed in SRP

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government eyes an area at the South Road Properties to be converted as temporary composting facility for biodegradable wastes.

Mayor Michael Rama has directed the Department of Public Services, Solid Waste Management Board, and Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office to prepare the area as part of the city government’s measure to solve the garbage collection problem pending the approval of the P2.8 billion Supplemental Budget 1. The supplemental budget includes the P87 million additional funds for garbage tipping fee.

Rama said the city should lessen the trash being brought to the private landfill in Consolacion while waiting for the approval of the additional budget. Rama is asking the participation of all the stakeholders at the SRP, including Filinvest Land Inc., SM Primeholdings Inc., Ayala Land, Department of Public Works and Highways among others, to help the city in the act of composting biodegradable wastes.

“I will request FLI, SM, and who are the other stakeholders and then DPWH on how we will be able to functionally and operationally and effectively and efficiently have that composting becoming successful,” Rama said, adding that it is only temporary because the area to be utilized as composting will be used in the future.

He said this will also allow garbage trucks of barangays to have more trips to collect garbage since SRP is nearer compared to that of Consolacion’s landfill.

The P101 million budget of the city for the garbage tipping fee has used up since July, said DPS head Rolando Ardosa.

He said they are waiting for the approval of the SB-1 so that the city could pay off the accumulated bill from the private hauler.

“They took the risk, gigagmay nalang nila ang collection karon. Wala pa ta kadawat og billing from them, pero dako nata og bayranan nila,” he said, adding that the city is still stalling the bidding for the garbage tipping fee until the SB-1 will be approved.

Ardosa said the composting site that the mayor wants to establish is very helpful to minimize the garbage transported to the private landfill. He said more than a hectare area near Pond A at the SRP was initially identified for the composting site.

He said only the urban barangays will be catered because the city has its composting site in Barangay Kalunasan for the mountain areas. According to Ardosa, 60 percent of the 500 tons of garbage generated daily in the city is biodegradable waste.

With the composting site at SRP, Rama is hoping that lesser trash will be delivered to the private landfill.

In a separate interview, CCENRO head Arlie Gesta said the city will be spraying a chemical to prevent foul odor in the area, where big developments are booming.

Gesta said Takakura method will be employed in the composting site.

He said it uses native organisms for composting which is the cultured and fermented from locally available materials such as fresh fruits, vegetable peels, coconut wine, brown sugar, rice bran and rice husks.

He said composting would be easy, cheap, sanitary, and odorless.

Gesta said it would take 30 days to complete the composting method.

Rama directed to fast track the needed things to be employed in the area of SRP to start the composting method.  (FREEMAN)