Inayawan landfill final rehab plan ready

CEBU, Philippines — The Full Advantage Phils International Inc. (FAPII) has already submitted to the Cebu City government the final safe closure and rehabilitation plan (SCRP) of the 15.41-hectare Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

Aside from the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in the service area, FAPII recommended three options as to what the city government will do with the rehabilitated landfill; (1) industrial or economic zone; (2) recreational eco-park; and (3) renewable energy center.

The 53-page plan was received by the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office last week.

FAPII has noted that the landfill has reached its storage capacity after seven years since its inception in 1998. It was ordered closed on December 16, 2016 with 1.19 million cubic meter municipal solid waste deposits, sloping at 7.1 percent with highest elevation of 15 meters.

It stated that the waste elevation of four meters may be retained as this is an ideal height for the perimeter fencing.

“Above that level, waste deposits of 633,742.41 cubic meter (323,714.89 metric tons) can be removed while mining for combustible residuals. A WTE facility can be established in the landfill area with the mined residuals as feedstock to generate 10 MW of electric power for 15 years,” FAPII said in the plan.

The municipal solid waste has an average density of 580 kg/cubic meter with combustible residuals.

Before the post-closure plan, FAPII stated that the elevation of 15 meters of garbage will be trimmed down to four meters.

Several activities will include the concrete fencing, restoration and improvement of access road, plan for the top soil cover, and management of gas vents, drainage system, and the proposed WTE project site which would take up to 730 days.

Part of the project site preparation is to clear all structures and other facilities within the boundaries of the landfill disposal site.

Other activities is the stabilization of critical slope, final soil cover, leachate management, gas vent system, prevention of illegal dumping, vegetation and greening, and social action plan for the affected waste pickers.

In July 2018, the city issued a notice to proceed for FAPII to commence with the consultancy project known as the “Closure and Rehabilitation Plan for Inayawan Sanitary Landfill” with a contract amounting to P2,474,550.

CENRO Chief Ma. Nida Cabrera said the safe closure and rehabilitation plan will form part of the city’s compliance of the Writ of Kalikasan issued by the court in 2016.

She said she will forward the plan to the City Council for its comments and possible recommendation as to what option provided by FAPII will be pursued by the city government.

As for the industrial or economic zone, FAPII said that the city may consider the site a candidate industrial or economic zone for Board of Investment or Philippine Economic Zone Authority registration like medical tourism center, information technology center, agro-industrial, manufacturing, retirement ecozone, among others.

As for the recreational eco-park, it was cited that there are other countries that have been successful in converting sanitary landfills into ecological parks.

The estimated cost for the recreational ecological park may reach P347.53 million with golf driving range, tennis court, gymnasium, transportation terminal building, football field, driving range, children playground, among others.

As for the renewable energy center, the rehabilitated landfill may also be pitched to developers and potential investors as a center for electricity generation as there are fiscal and non-fiscal incentives that the city may get out of it.

Initial assessment of a solar-sharing PV power plant as part of the renewable energy center is that solar panels are spaced regularly allowing sunlight to reach the ground.

As to the earlier plan of the city to put up waste-to-energy in the 3.68-hectare service area of the landfill, FAPII said that it could be done since it is not covered by the Writ of Kalikasan issued by the court that caused the closure of the landfill. — GAN (FREEMAN)