Use Irisan compost for fertilizer, mayor orders

By Ramon Dacawi

BAGUIO CITY -- Mayor Mauricio Domogan has cancelled the purchase of P350,000 worth of fertilizer for the city parks and ordered use of the sum to buy fuel to run the two environmental recycling system (ERS) machines at the Irisan dumpsite that process bio-degradable waste into organic fertilizer.

The mayor said he directed the city environment and parks management office to use the fertilizer produced by the machines for the flowering and ornamental plants at the Burnham Park and city gardens.

Domogan said his twin decisions came after he learned the ERS machines needed fuel and then received documents for the purchase of fertilizer.

He explained the city plans to sell the fertilizer being churned by the machines and use the proceeds to sustain the fuel needs of the two machines which have a combined daily capacity to convert 48 tons of organic waste into fertilizer.

Domogan said the fertilizer being composted out of vegetable trimmings and other organic waste has been certified as such but the city is waiting for permit to sell the same from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority.

Protech, the company which installed and is training city personnel to run the machines, is also willing to buy and repair several second-hand trucks the city earlier bought in Olongapo City but which broke down, Domogan said.

The company, which also committed to haul residual waste as an added service, is still working out payment of the machines it delivered, the mayor said.

In its meeting last Monday, the city council directed the CEPMO to submit in 15 days its report on the status of the city’s solid waste management program and for Protech to submit its report of compliance with the provisions of the contract covering the sale and operation of the ERS machines.

The machines costing P64 million each, were ordered from Japan late last year to compost – and therefore reduce - the city’s biodegradable waste, an alternative to the daily hauling of garbage to a dumpsite in Capas, Tarlac which, Domogan noted, was draining the city coffers of millions of pesos in hauling and other fees.

The ERS began operations last January at the Irisan dumpsite, more than two years after open dumping was closed in July, 2008, in compliance with the provisions of the Solid Waste Management Act.

The closure, however, left the city with no choice but to haul its garbage to Tarlac while scouting for a new site to develop into a controlled dump facility.

Domogan said the basic problem remains the non-segregation of waste “at source” meaning within households and appealed anew to residents recycle, re-use and also compost to reduce the volume being hauled by the city.

He said the city is considering hiring personnel tasked to oversee waste segregation in each of the barangays,