TUBA, Benguet—The municipal government has identified a potential site in one of its barangays for its own engineered sanitary landfill mainly for plastic waste.
Mayor Ignacio Rivera said the site will be inspected by experts from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the National Solid Waste Management Commission, and the local government to determine its feasibility. Tuba will then partner with any organization capable of running the landfill.
“We want to make sure that the potential landfill site is suitable for such purpose, that is why we do not want to identify the exact area where the land is located,” Rivera stressed.
The mayor said Tuba is spending approximately P2 million annually for hauling its residual waste to the engineered sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac, which is why it was important to put up its own landfill. Funds for the project would also come via public-private partnership.
Rivera said the town had the technology available for the landfill that complies with the provisions of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. He said the national government will charge local officials who have not yet satisfactorily complied with their own waste disposal facility.
Once the town’s landfill is operational, it could accommodate plastic wastes from neighboring localities, including Baguio City, he added.
The local government will consult with all stakeholders in the town once the government agencies consent to the use of the site as the town’s landfill as provided by the solid waste management law, the mayor said.
Rivera appealed to his constituents to support the plans and programs of the local government in complying with the provisions of existing laws, rules and regulations “to prevent Tuba from being placed in ‘hot water’ in the future.”