Hauling cost of trash outside Baguio down

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The city government’s garbage disposal problem has been eased with reduction of hauling cost of residual waste outside the city over the past several years.

            City General Services Officer Romeo D. Concio revealed that before Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan was elected as the local chief executive in 2010, the hauling cost of garbage outside the city was at least P3,400, inclusive of tipping fee, which compelled the local government to exert efforts in finding solutions to contribute in the reduction of the prevailing hauling cost.

             From more or less P3,400 per ton of garbage being hauled out of the city, the local government was able to reduce the same to around P1,800 per ton several years ago until such time that it was again reduced to P1,423 per ton late last year up to the present.

He disclosed that of the prevailing hauling cost to the Metro Clark engineered sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac, P932 is the hauling cost while P500 per ton is the tipping fee paid by the city to the landfill operator.

“Previously, we were hauling out more than 160 tons of garbage daily but because of the sustained efforts of the local government to find ways on how to reduce the residual waste being hauled out of the city, we were able to reduce the same to 155 tons daily in 2014 and eventually 135 tons daily last year. This year, we are only averaging 130 tons daily because of the increasing compliance of local residents to the segregation of waste at source,” Concio said.

From the over P150 million haling expenses of the previous administration, the general services officer added the implementation of various interventions by the city over the past several years translated to a significant reduction in the hauling cost to P72 million last year.

He asserted the city government will continue to pursue the strict implementation of segregation of waste at source with the cooperation of the barangays and residents in order to further reduce the residual waste being hauled out of the city aside from the development of the integrated solid waste disposal facility in barangay Sto. Tomas School Area which has been identified as the long-term solution to the city’s garbage woes.

In order to improve the efficiency of the city in the collection of garbage in the different barangays, He cited the city was able to acquire eight new dump trucks and 2 compactors in order to be added to the existing fleet of 14 garbage trucks being used for the collection of generated waste in the different parts of the city.

He said existing interventions being implemented by the city government to solve the current garbage disposal concerns were all passed upon by the National solid Waste Commission (NSWMC) upon the recommendation of the City Solid Waste Management Board composed of representatives from various sectors of the city.

The city government closed the operation of its 5.2-hectare Irisan open dumpsite pursuant to the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act mandating the closure of all open dump facilities and for local governments to venture on the operation of engineered sanitary landfills among other related interventions to reduce the volume of waste being dumped in the landfilled for a healthier and safer environment.