DENR to LGUs: Put up affordable landfills

MANILA, Philippines — The establishment of sanitary landfills should be affordable to ensure that more local government units (LGUs) will have their own solid waste management facility, according to Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.

“Make the establishment and operation of a sanitary landfill simpler and less costly without sacrificing the main objective of proper garbage disposal, which is to prevent lecheate from going to waterways,” Cimatu said.

He instructed Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and LGU Concerns Benny Antiporda to “review and revise” the implementing rules and regulations of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act “to make way for better and bigger sanitary landfills.”

The putting up of sanitary landfills is mandated under RA 9003.

Cimatu lamented that only 10 percent of LGUs nationwide have sanitary landfills two decades after the law was enacted.

Cimatu said adjacent municipalities or cities could pool their resources to establish a common sanitary landfill.

He said LGUs could avail themselves of government loans, citing what the Development Bank of the Philippines is offering under its green financing program.

Cimatu said LGUs should come up with a scheme to pay the loan, such as through the collection of tipping fees.