BAGUIO CITY – The city will purchase four more garbage trucks this year to further improve the efficiency of collecting the city’s waste in the 128 barangays.
City General Services Officer-in-Charge Eugene Buyucan said the budget for the purchase of these dump trucks in included in the P2.059 billion proposed city’s annual budget pending deliberations with the City Council.
At present, the city has a total of 14 serviceable garbage trucks servicing the city’s 128 barangays from 3 am to 11 pm collecting garbage as per the scheduled collection dates per barangay.
With the 4 garbage trucks that will be added to the city’s existing fleet of trucks, Buyucan explained garbage collection will become more efficient and there will be less depreciation of the vehicles.
He added the city has to also address the significant increase in the volume of waste generated in the barangays and in the different tourist destinations due to the influx of visitors during the weekends, holidays and special occasions that add up to the burden of the garbage collectors.
According to him, one of the trucks to be purchased will be small for use in interior areas not accessible to the big trucks.
He admitted some of the city’s garbage trucks need to be replaced while others have to undergo regular maintenance and repairs so only 14 trucks are operational while the two compactors purchased several years ago are being used in the collection of garbage in the central business district area and as quick response vehicles for the collection of garbage in major parks and tourist destinations in the city, especially when there is a huge volume of garbage that pile up in the said public places.
The City General Services Office is tasked to administer and implement programs, projects and activities of the local government in relation to solid waste management that includes the collection and disposal of the garbage generated in the city’s barangays pursuant to the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
Based on the Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) conducted by a private consultant in the city over two years ago, city residents produce a total of 402 tons of mixed waste daily with 150 to 167 tons being residual waste while the rest are classified as biodegradable and recyclables which are taken by the volunteers for sale to junk shops, among others.
Local governments are mandated to conduct the required WACS every two years either with the assistance of a consultant or through the use of the available resources of the concerned locality to ascertain the appropriate solid waste disposal interventions that will be put in place to address the prevailing garbage disposal issues in their areas of jurisdiction to prevent the occurrence of garbage crisis that will taint a bad image for the said place.
By Dexter A. See
