The Negros Occidental provincial government has hired a firm to properly dispose of hazardous waste from two of its hospitals, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Friday, August 1.
The disposal was done to ensure the hospitals are compliant with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Health (DOH) requirements to operate in a safe and healthy environment, he said.
Urban Hazmat Transport has already finished removing hazardous waste from the Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City and the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, he said.
The company hauled 111,111 kilograms of hospital waste from the two facilities to a treatment plant in Cavite.
The waste had previously been buried and stored in septic vaults at the two hospitals.
Diaz said the two hospitals were prioritized because the Cadiz District Hospital served as a COVID-19 center during the pandemic, and the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital was home to a molecular laboratory making their waste more hazardous than others.
The provincial government paid P10 million for the waste removal, he said.
Another purchase order will be signed for the disposal of hazardous waste from the province’s other hospitals.
While the Silay City hospital has an incinerator, it only has the capacity to handle current waste, not the backlog, Diaz said.*