Manadue’s waste segregation policy

The Mandaue City government is requiring its 3,500 City Hall employees to be role models of the city’s waste segregation campaign.

Starting last week, City Hall and barangay hall employees were required to practice waste segregation in their offices and houses.

Mayor Jonas Cortes gave the order after Engr. Ricardo Mendoza, head of the Solid Waste Management Division, informed him that City Hall employees were not or were loosely practicing waste segregation in their offices.

Mendoza said only some of the department offices were using labeled garbage bins in their areas.

“Ironic kaayo kay sa gawas sige  mi ug preach about sa garbage segregation unya dinhi sa City hall wala pa (It’s ironic that we continue to preach about garbage segregation and yet here at City Hall, they don’t practice it) ,”Mendoza said.

He added, “Kinahanglan kaayo nga mag segregate na pud kada opisina.” (there’s a need to practice segregation at the offices).

eco wardens

Mendoza said eco wardens would also check on the garbage bins starting last Monday and remind each department and office about the mayor’s new order.

Having separate bins for bio-degradable and non biodegradable wastes at City Hall offices and employees practicing waste segregation would serve as visible examples to the public that the city government was serious in its waste segregation campaign.

The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 and a Mandaue City ordinance require the implementation of  waste segregation in the city.

homes too

Mendoza said monitoring of the employees to learn waste segregation wouldn’t stop at City Hall.

He said eco wardens would soon inspect the houses of City Hall employees to make sure that they practice waste segregation.

Cortes executive secretary Jamaal James Calipayan said most wastes that City Hall generated were papers, plastic and the occasional food waste.

Calipayan said the employees always separate food wastes from other wastes.

“We did not see the need to segregate at first because of the waste generated by City Hall were just all recyclable waste. Food waste is very rare and whenever there are offices conducting lunch and parties, there’s separate bags for that,” Calipayan said while pointing out that it was already considered  part of segregation.

Calipayan said most of the leftovers were not disposed of since the City Hall employees would bring it home for their pet dogs.

example

“In order to set an example to the community since we want to also encourage the public and employees to teach them segregation at the office and at home, we are not only implementing segregation at the office but we are also implementing segregation in each employees’ home,” Calipayan said

Mendoza said he would inform City Administrator James Abadia about the employees who failed to practice segregation in their offices and homes for sanctions.

“It’s up to the city administrator on what sanctions he would impose against the employees,” Mendoza said./Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos