‘Open sanitary landfill to Metro Manila wastes’

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Elisea Gozun has reiterated her appeal to the provincial government of Tarlac to allow the use of its state-of-the-art, fully engineered sanitary landfill to help solve Metro Manila’s garbage woes.

Gozun urged the members of Tarlac board to reconsider its decision that only wastes coming from the province and the Clark special economic zone are allowed to be dumped in the landfill in Barangay Kalangitan in Capas town.

"It’s not right that business will not profit so long as environmental standards are complied with. Let’s make this a viable enterprise because it is an environmentally sound facility," she said.

She added: "City and municipal governments that would utilize the landfill must follow procedures in the disposal of their wastes. Segregation, of course, composting and recycling will be strictly enforced and only residual wastes will be disposed of."

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is eyeing the Tarlac landfill for some of the garbage from Metro Manila since the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City will soon be developed into a controlled landfill.

The Payatas dumpsite is the lone facility still open for the 6,000 tons of trash generated by Metro Manila residents per day.

Gozun aired her appeal in a recent meeting with Tarlac Gov. Jose Yap Sr. and Mayors Reynaldo Catacutan of Capas and Leonardo Anunciacion of Bamban. Twelve barangay heads of the two municipalities, who heard Gozun’s plea, reportedly readily approved her proposal.

Gozun’s request came on the heels of a resolution by the National Solid Waste Management Commission asking the Tarlac government to allow residual wastes from other cities and municipalities to be disposed of in the Capas sanitary landfill.

The landfill, which opened last Nov. 29, is currently operated by the Metro Clark Waste Corp. (MCWC) under a build-operate-transfer contract with the Clark Development Corp. (CDC).

The facility does not accept liquid, hazardous or medical wastes as stated in its environmental compliance certificate.

The landfill occupies five hectares out of the 100 hectares which the CDC has provided for the facility.

At present, the landfill accommodates 100 tons of household wastes daily from Capas and Bamban towns and the Clark ecozone.

MCWC vice president Lena Villarama said the landfill could accommodate 1,500 tons of wastes per day.

She said the MCWC is offering a P13 share per ton of wastes to be divided between the Tarlac government and the municipalities of Bamban and Capas.