BAGUIO CITY– The local government is fully aware of its mandatory obligation to comply with the no touchdown policy in the transfer of the generated residual waste from the city’s garbage trucks to the hauler’s trucks in its temporary waste transfer station within a portion of the Baguio Dairy Farm once the ongoing works in the said area will be completed by next month.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan reassured residents living in the vicinity of the temporary waste transfer station that the local government is fully aware of the no touchdown policy but the city was required by the previous leadership of the Cordillera Office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR) to put up a chute that will facilitate the immediate transfer of waste from the garbage trucks to the hauler’s trucks without touching the ground.
However, he explained that at present, a portion of the residual waste hauled by the city’s garbage trucks are allowed to remain on ground over a 24-hour period pursuant to the rules and regulations provided by the EMB-CAR, the government agency tasked to oversee the compliance of the local government to the standards of waste disposal in its temporary transfer station, and that the same is allowed to stay on ground for over a day considering that it is immediately hauled out of the city by the hauler’s trucks.
“We appeal to the residents living near the city’s temporary waste transfer station for further patience and understanding because the local government is nearing the completion of the projects required to ensure our strict adherence to the no touchdown policy,” Domogan stressed.
He pointed out that the show its commitment to comply with the conditions imposed for the operation of the temporary waste transfer station in the said area, the local government earmarked P11.7 million for the construction of the chute and the concreting of the ground aside from the construction of the appropriate drainage system that will address issues on garbage being allowed to touch ground for some time before being hauled out of the area and the obnoxious odor emanating from the stockpiled garbage when it rains.
Under the proposed set up in the area, the city’s garbage trucks loaded with garbage will go to the elevated portion of the temporary waste transfer station and eventually dump the garbage to the chute that will direct the same to go to the hauler’s truck that will be positioned in the lower portion of the station so that there will be no waste that will fall on the pavement.
It can be recalled that the Agriculture Department gave its consent to the local government to allow the use of a 5,000-square meter portion of the Baguio Dairy Farm for its temporary waste transfer station while it is on the process of looking for a permanent site for its solid waste disposal facility and the appropriate technology that will address the city’s garbage disposal woes.
He asserted that the operation of the city’s waste transfer station is also being monitored by the EMB-CAR but also some local officials and technical personnel of the Tuba Municipal Government who are always vigilant to what is happening in the said area and are often the ones calling the attention of the city and the hauler on the need to attend to the garbage piling up in the area that needs to be removed from the place. By Dexter A. See
