TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (City ENRO) has implemented new regulations on garbage collection and is seeking to ban the use of plastic bags in the city.
In a letter to the ten barangay collection areas, Tabuk City Mayor Ferdinand B. Tubban, sought for the support of the barangay officials to disseminate the information that, only residual wastes placed in sacks or collection containers will be collected. The sacks will be provided by the household or commercial establishment to help the city in its endeavour to totally close the Dilag open dump site.
He pointed that the sacks will be used to make the piling more organized and cleaner at the Temporary Residual Containment Area and prevent the spilling and littering of garbage, worsening the situation of the open dump site.
The provision of sacks to contain garbage would also prevent possible violation of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 where the indiscriminate garbage disposal is considered a violation.
Tabuk City ENRO Chief Salud Lammawin also appealed to the barangay officials and the public to strictly observe RA 9003 and the issuances from the city government.
The sacks she said will not be returned. “We are appealing for the public to donate the sacks they used for the garbage collection as their contribution in our effort dispose their garbage properly,” she said.
She also reminded the public to bring their garbage only during the scheduled collection dates and time to prevent stray animals from scattering the same in the streets since scattered garbage will not be collected.
Meanwhile, the city government also issued Memorandum Order No. 158 for market vendors to segregate their garbage in tightly sealed transparent garbage bags to be placed inside properly marked bins inside the market’s temporary storage area and must comply with the ‘no segregation no collection policy.’
And starting on the first Monday of September and every Monday thereafter, stall owners and latag vendors were banned from using plastic bags for their saleable goods, and that customers will be responsible in bringing their own bags or basket to buy.
Lammawin said that this is towards the effort of the city to someday totally ban the use of plastic bags to include the commercial stores and groceries to eventually reduce the volume of residual waste at the dump site. Plastic bags and containers she said is the highest contributor of residual waste in the city.
As the CLGU’s partner, the Market Vendors’ Association she said will take care of the compliance monitoring of these endeavours which is geared towards the establishment of the city’s engineered land fill after efforts to close the open dump site is done.
The Environmental Management Bureau of the Cordillera Administrative Region have recently directed the city government to totally close the Dilag Dump Site and to comply with all the requirements of RA 2009 to establish a Sanitary Landfill at the area.
By Geraldine G. Dumallig
