NEVER-Ending Story 12: LGU Responsible for Dumpsite Rehabilitation
After closing the Dumaguete Sanitary Landfill, the Local Government Unity (LGU) will be in charge of the dumpsite rehabilitation. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officially closed all 335 operating open dumpsites in the Philippines in May this year.
Closing and Dumpsite Rehabilitation in the Philippines
The old Dumaguete Dumpsite closed earlier this year on March 30, 2021. In our NEVER-Ending Story Part 10, City Mayor Felipe Antonio “Ipe” Remollo allotted an amount of 8 million pesos to the closure and rehabilitation plan of the Candau-ay dumpsite. Under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, open dumps for solid waste should have been converted into “controlled dumps” within three years of the law’s effectiveness. The controlled dumps should have been closed within the succeeding two years.
According to the DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, after the successful feat to close dumpsites all over the country, he would like to reiterate to the concerned LGUs to ensure that all systems and engineering measures are carried out in their rehabilitation plan to prevent negative impacts and risks to the environment.
Closing the dumpsite is just the first step… (LGUs) have to proactively implement rehabilitation because it is a requirement for closure,” Mr. Cimatu said.
A DENR administrative order issued in Sept. 2006 sets the guidelines for dumpsite closure and rehabilitation. Under the guidelines, LGUs or contracted private operators can undertake the rehabilitation based on the local government’s approved solid waste management program.
Eco Park & Recycled Plastic Waste Chairs
The Dumaguete City Central Materials Recovery Facility or simply known as the “Eco Park” made its first-ever chair made of recycled plastic waste last October 2021. A representative from the DENR-EMB tested the newly delivered set of Plastic Recycling Equipment which converted the waste to chairs. In the efforts of the Dumaguete LGU to recycle waste materials, they are planning to convert trash to construction materials such as hollow blocks and paver stones to be used in the various infrastructure projects of the city. The 8-hectare Eco Park itself had a budget of 7 million pesos last October 2019 as stated in our NEVER-Ending Story Part 11.