ATOK, Benguet – The municipal government will be acquiring another garbage truck to boost the garbage collection and disposal in the municipality towards addressing the garbage issues and concerns, Mayor Franklin Smith said here recently.
The municipal chief executive claimed that the local government will be retiring its two old garbage trucks to avoid the increasing maintenance expenses for the two vehicles.
Last year, the municipal government purchased a much bigger garbage truck now being used for the ongoing garbage collection and disposal to ensure cleanliness in the town’s barangays while ensuring the sustainable preservation and protection of the environment.
Smith pointed out that the additional truck to be purchased will augment the existing one, especially when the two old garbage trucks will be retired in the next several months.
He assured the continuous and uninterrupted collection and relevant disposal of garbage from the different barangays to avoid garbage-related issues and concerns.
The mayor appealed to the residents to strictly adhere to the strict implementation of the segregation of garbage at source to reduce the volume of waste being collected and disposed to sustain cleanliness in the barangays.
According to him, residents and visitors have an important role in the proper disposal of their generated waste and it is important for them to help in reducing the volume of waste being collected in the established collection points in the barangays and be instrumental in maintaining cleanliness in their respective places.
The municipal government collected a substantial amount from the collection of environment fees in the different tourist destinations in the municipality where a portion of the amount is earmarked for the purchase of the desired garbage truck in the next several months to help ensure the effective and efficient collection and disposal of generated waste.
Mayor Smith explained that his administration will try to work on the necessary short- medium and long-term solutions to the municipal government’s issues and concerns related to garbage collection and disposal to ensure its readiness for future needs caused by the continuous increase in generated wastes in the municipality, especially that it is now becoming one of the preferred areas being frequented by domestic and foreign tourists.
Atok has become a must-see destination for foreign and domestic tourists wanting to explore emerging tourist spots in the Cordillera with its nature-based destinations that is a natural pull for the cool and romantic weather. By Dexter A. See
