DENR cites Payatas dump

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) cited the Payatas dump in Quezon City as the first controlled waste facility to be operated by a local government unit (LGU) in the country.

Albert Magalang, director for the Solid Waste Management Office of the DENR, said out of the 276 LGUs which have complied with the solid waste management law, only the Quezon City government will be directly operating its own controlled garbage disposal facility in the Payatas area.

He said other LGUs either share a common controlled site or have commissioned a third party in their operation unlike Quezon City, which has direct operational control over the facility.

"Quezon City will be the first LGU to operate its own controlled facility," Magalang told The STAR during the signing of a memorandum of agreement between Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and DENR Secretary Elisea Gozun for the official conversion of Payatas into a controlled dump.

Gozun lauded the city government for its compliance with the Solid Waste Management Law which was enacted following the Payatas tragedy, which killed over 200 people in 2000.

The DENR chief praised the city government for initiating the Payatas facility not only as an environmentally sound project but also as a concrete and sustainable development measure.

Belmonte said the rehabilitation and development of the Payatas dump will consist of the installation of state of the art structure and facilities that will treat, segregate and convert waste into clean water.

"I believe that next to funds, the biggest problem facing LGUs would a suitable garbage dump," Belmonte said.

The mayor said practically all LGUs in the country have problems regarding waste disposal.

He said converting Payatas into a controlled disposal facility would address the environment concern of surrounding communities in the area.

In the meantime, the city government has taken the initiative to institute measures for operational efficiency as well as making them safety and sanitary .

These include maximizing water build-up by deepening and widening the waterways around the dumpsite and controlling garbage volume. Concreting of access roads to the site has also resulted in a faster turnaround time for some 550 garbage haulers in the area.

Belmonte said the city government is also coordinating with the Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) on the extraction of methane gas from the site.

"If the volume is found to be commercially viable, we will develop a system for extraction to prevent methane gas build-ups in the site," Belmonte said.

He said the city government is now negotiating for the construction of a modern waste processing or material recovery facility or transfer station.

As early as 1994, there have been efforts by the government agencies and the city government to close and rehabilitate the Payatas dump. However, the absence of adequate waste disposal facilities prompted the continued use of the site.

It was, however, decided that operations at the site be limited for use by Quezon City.

Quezon City generates at least 1,500 tons of garbage daily.