TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Alarmed by the sanitation condition of the two public markets in the city, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) conducted an information campaign on Municipal Ordinance No. 2, s. 1997 (Comprehensive Solid Waste Management) for the market vendors and occupants of the markets in Dagupan Centro and Bulanao on September 13-14.
Speakers from the CENRO and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) reminded the occupants of the operating procedures of the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM).
Senior Environment Management Specialist George Padalla of the CENRO stated the purpose of the ordinance is to ensure round-the-clock cleanliness through orderly solid waste management, prevention of open garbage dumps and the eradication of unsightly, uncovered and overflowing waste containers in streets, public places and open spaces.
“They shall ensure that the generated solid wastes shall be properly separated in three enclosed containers for recoverable, left-overs/compostables and others. They shall also choose proper containers such as cans, sacks, bags, bins that will facilitate sanitary, efficient handling, storage, collection, transport or disposal at least cost,” he added.
Concerning waste generation and storage in commercial areas, Padalla said that storage containers for segregated commercial wastes shall be communal or individual depending on the location and transport process.
The lobbies fronting sidewalks or immediate grounds of commercial establishments like shops, stalls, stores, restaurants, eateries, barber shops, beauty parlors, recreational and entertainment facilities shall be kept clean and presentable by the owners, operators or lessees, he said.
As to processing and resource recovery in commercial areas, he said that public markets shall adopt a segregation scheme that will facilitate the segregation of recyclables, food or vegetable waste, non-recyclables and food wastes from commercial centers such as restaurants and canteens shall be collected as fodder or animal feeds and shall not be disposed to sewers.
Padalla said that the owner, operator or lessee of any enterprise shall be responsible for the timely positioning of stored solid wastes during the collection period which shall be made known in advance.
Illegal dumping, scattering or scavenging of solid wastes along sidewalks, streets, alleys, roads, irrigation canals, gutters, drainage canals, riverbanks, creeks or any other natural bodies of water or waterways and other public places or private properties is also strictly prohibited, he said.
Any person who violates any of the provisions of the ordinance shall be fined P300 or slapped an imprisonment of 10 days or both fine and imprisonment or P1,000 or by imprisonment of 20 days, or both fine and imprisonment for habitual violators, Padalla warned.
Myla Amogan, environmental management specialist of the DENR-CAR, said that proper and efficient management of solid wastes in markets result to mitigation of problems related to pollution, climatic changes and public health.
She said that formulating and implementing effective waste management techniques can be beneficial regardless of how small or large a business venture might be.
“Considering that a public market is one of the largest generators of wastes, proper waste management will greatly increase the waste diversion of the local government. The systematic management of solid waste which provides for waste reduction at source and the segregation at source for recovery of reusables, recyclables and compostables when attained, bring significant results,” she declared.
CENRO Salud Lammawin told the market occupants sanitation in public markets can be improved when stall owners and ambulant vendors strictly segregate their wastes and tie their containers tightly to prevent spilling or littering or scavenging and when they are responsible for delivering the segregated wastes in the temporary storage area before collection schedule by the city.
The temporary storage area, she said, shall have separate compartments for all kinds of wastes to prevent mixed waste collection and delivering the recyclable wastes to the public market’s Materials Recovery Facility for final sorting will also improve sanitation in the markets.
She also said that the “No Segregation, No Collection” policy shall be strictly implemented eliminating the mixing of wastes at waste generation source and in the waste collection system.
Lammawin also implored the support of the officers of the Market Vendors’ Association in the two public markets to monitor the segregation of wastes at source.
By Darwin S. Serion
