Mayor Greg Gasataya led the groundbreaking of the P66 million Cell No. 5 at the Bacolod City sanitary landfill in Brgy Felisa to address the city’s growing garbage problem ahead of a planned Waste-to-Energy (WTE) project, on Thursday, Jan. 29.
“We are hoping that this will be the last landfill cell, as the city is now working on the Waste-to-Energy project,” Gasataya said.
He said the WTE project would greatly reduce the garbage being dumped at the landfill.
Gasataya said Cell No. 5 will not only provide an immediate solution to the city’s growing waste problem but will also lay the groundwork for the WTE program being developed in partnership with the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).
“We should make a decisive undertaking to ensure an efficient solid waste management program,” Gasataya said.
Cell No. 5 is expected to be completed in about 10 months, Gasataya said.
They are rushing to complete the construction of Cell No. 5 that is expected to have a landfill lifespan of up to three years, Mario Sandil, Operations Manager of International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialists, said.
Cell No. 4 is expected to be full in three to four months that is why they are rushing to complete Cell No. 5, he said.
Bacolod City has almost 2,000 cubic meters of garbage a day, Sandil said
Cell No. 5’s operational life may be extended once the WTE energy project becomes fully operational, Sandil said.
The mayor recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Energy Secretary Sharon Garin for the WTE initiative.
Under the agreement, EMB will conduct the project’s feasibility study, while DOE will provide full technical support for its successful implementation, the mayor said
The WTE project is expected to reduce waste, create economic opportunities, and boost the city’s environmental protection efforts, he said.*
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