BAGUIO CITY – The City General Services Office (GSO) reported that the volume of the residual waste being hauled out of the city slightly dropped over the past several weeks amidst the sustained increase in the influx of visitors wanting to enjoy the city’s cool and romantic weather due to the scorching heat prevailing in the lowlands.
Acting City General Services officer Eugene Buyucan said the current volume of the residual waste being hauled out of the city from the temporary transfer station at the Baguio Dairy Farm ranges from 145 to 150 tons daily over the past several weeks compared to the over 160 tons daily during the early part of the year.
“We continue to implement the necessary strategies that will help in continue reducing the volume of residual waste being hauled out of the city for us to be able to lessen our expenses in the implementation of our garbage disposal strategies while we continue to finalize our options for the establishment of the city’s permanent integrated solid waste disposal facility either within the jurisdiction of the city or outside the city,” Buyucan stressed.
The GSO officer-in-charge claimed that the city’s solid waste management team directly coordinated with the management of big establishments in the different parts of the city for them to have their own strategies in disposing of the garbage generated by their establishments and he expressed satisfaction over the cooperation of the owners of the establishments to their appeal for them to come out with their own strategies in the disposal of the garbage generated in their own companies to help lessen the burden of the local government in solely disposing of the generated residual waste around the city.
According to him, the barangay officials also continue to play a key role in instilling discipline among residents in the proper disposal of their household waste, particularly their adherence to the existing no segregation, no collection policy, considering that they make it a point that all garbage being brought to the different pick up points in the barangays are properly segregated to allow garbage collectors to have more time to go around the city and collect properly segregated garbage.
Buyucan appealed to residents to continue complying with the no segregation at source policy so that barangay officials manning the different pick up points will not return their bags of garbage to them for proper segregation before bringing back their garbage to the pickup points and for them to start influencing their neighbors to do the same because the continue reduction on the volume of residual waste being hauled out of the city would mean the implementation of effective and efficient strategies that result to lesser expenditures on the part of the local government.
Buyucan explained that the continued reduction on the residual waste being hauled out of the city should be a continuing effort not only on the part of the local government but also among the residents living in the city’s 128 barangays because the proper disposal of garbage is not the sole obligation of the city but it is the duty of everyone to appropriately dispose their generated waste in their respective houses and commercial establishments.
Buyucan commended the members of the media for their active participation in providing the residents and visitors alike with pieces of information on the need for them to comply with prevailing rules and regulations in the proper disposal of their generated waste because it is the duty of every citizen to properly dispose their garbage for the continued preservation and protection of the environment. By Dexter A. See
