Baguio offered technology to handle trash
By Desiree Caluza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:54:00 09/06/2008
BAGUIO CITY – Alaminos City Mayor Hernani Braganza said his city was willing to share technology with the Baguio government to solve the summer capital’s problems on waste management and garbage collection.
He said Alaminos City has been using machines that process and convert wastes into products for small-scale industries.
“We are disposing of 23 to 25 tons of garbage a day in Alaminos. Maybe the local government of Baguio could study technologies that could convert garbage into investments,” he said.
Braganza signed here on Sunday a memorandum of agreement with Baguio officials on the forging of sister city ties between Alaminos and Baguio.
Baguio’s garbage crisis started when residents of Barangay Irisan and a neighboring community in Tuba, Benguet, barricaded the city’s only dump on July 14.
The dump was officially closed early this year but a portion of it was kept open. Mounting garbage in that section threatens to fall on houses below the dump because of a damaged retaining wall.
As a result, uncollected garbage piled up on city streets and parks.
Braganza said Alaminos’ trash converters could turn wastes into hollow blocks, soil conditioners and organic fertilizers.
He said the Alaminos government and the Department of Agriculture recently launched a program to promote organic farming in the city.
The fertilizers processed from garbage would be used in Alaminos’ organic farming project, he said.
He said a city spends about P20 million to P50 million on garbage disposal. “Just imagine how much money that the government can save if there is an efficient waste management,” he said.
Cordelia Lacsamana, Baguio environment officer, said the city welcomes Braganza’s offer to help Baguio solve its garbage crisis.
She said the city government bought shredders, grinders and plastic melters to handle its garbage.
The processed garbage, she said, could be turned into bricks and pots.
She said the collection of garbage is slowly returning to its regular schedule after the city hired a private contractor to collect its wastes and dump it in a landfill in Tarlac.
The city council set aside P10 million to help develop at least six material recovery facilities (MRF) in the villages. The MRF is a sorting and buying station for recycled materials.
Lacsamana, however, said many residents continue to ignore the city’s call to segregate their garbage. “We still hope that the residents will continue to abide with the policy on segregation,” she said.
Records from the city government showed that Baguio produces at least 80 tons of garbage a day.
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