Mayor allows Protech to collect trash from b’gays

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – The move to allow Pro Tech Machinery Corporation (Pro Tech) to directly collect non-biodegradable refuse from the barangays is expected to boost the efficiency of the city’s waste collection system.

Mayor Mauricio Domogan said giving the authority to Pro Tech to collect in barangays at no cost to the city, albeit still on experimental run for one month, is a practical move as the city will be relieved of the task of collecting the trash and thus will save on hauling and transport costs.

In Administrative Order No. 125, the mayor granted authority to Pro Tech to help collect the generated garbage from the designated pick-up points in the different barangays in accordance with the collection schedules and subsequently haul them directly out of Baguio on experimental basis from October 1-31.

“There is a need for the City Government to avail of any possible assistance to be extended by groups, individuals and companies in order to improve the collection of wastes in the 128 barangays and to empower local residents to segregated their garbage at source to ensure a more effective and efficient collection of garbage in the future,” the mayor noted.

The direct collection by Pro Tech will do away with the need for a transfer station to sort out the wastes thus freeing the Irisan controlled dump facility from hosting more wastes for sorting as was the practice.

The mayor said the city is trying to locate a possible permanent transfer station for sorting out non-biodegradables but no area has so far been pinpointed.

The mayor said Pro Tech offered to collect both the nonbiodegradable and biodegradable wastes but he said he only allowed the collection of nonbiodegradables at the moment.

He said that should the system prove advantageous at the end of the month-long experiment, then the city could adopt it permanently.

He said no personnel in the solid waste division will be displaced once the system is made permanent.

The city at present has 98 employees serving as garbage collectors and dump truck drivers and the mayor said the city government will see to it that all of them will be absorbed in the other departments.

He said he has directed the city human resource management office to freeze the hiring of utility workers, drivers and laborers and other related positions to accommodate the 90 employees.

The mayor said he believes that the city council will receive well his allowing Pro Tech’s direct involvement in waste collection.

“Whatever it is that will help our city perfect our waste management, then by all means let us do it,” the mayor said.

Pro Tech presently utilizes the city’s trucks and personnel in the collection process but gave assurance of adding more trucks in the coming days to improve the service.

Pro Tech assured that it will also continue to haul out the remaining fresh non-biodegradable wastes at the Irisan controlled dumpsite except the inert wastes left by the trash slide.

The firm is bound by an agreement with the city government to take charge of hauling out the city’s residual wastes as part of its deal with the city on the Environmental Recycling System (ERS).