Disposal of Canadian wastes at Clark landfill eyed

MANILA, Philippines - Authorities are considering the disposal of Canadian wastes at the Metro Clark landfill.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Undersecretary Jonas Leones said they are waiting for the result of the discussion between the Bureau of Customs and concerned local government units.

On Monday, Tarlac Gov. Victor Yap suspended the dumping of Canada wastes at the Capas landfill owned by the Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. (MCWMC) pending a certification on the results of the waste analysis and study by the Environmental Management Bureau. 

Environmental groups said a study of 50 shipping containers showed that 63.94 percent of the Canadian wastes are residuals, 33.25 percent recyclable mixed plastics, 2.35 percent recyclable mixed metals, 0.24 percent electro-nic waste and 0.23 percent glass bottles.    

The DENR and the Canadian embassy assured the public that the wastes “are neither toxic nor hazardous.”

Rene Pineda, vice president of the EcoWaste Coalition, said the analysis failed to characterize the composition of the wastes.

“No assessment was done on the biological and chemical properties of the samples and their associated hazards to human health and the environment, including their potential impact to surface and ground water,” Pineda said.

Capas Mayor Antonio Rodriguez said the MCWMC violated the agreement with the Tarlac provincial government that they would only accept wastes from Tarlac, Pampanga, Baguio and Metro Manila. 

He said the Sangguniang Panglalawigan could revoke the MCWMC’s permit. – With Ric Sapnu