Bacolod Councilor Greg Gasataya yesterday said the city government has already identified three areas for its waste disposal facility and hopes to meet the deadline set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The DENR has warned local officials whose areas, including 12 in Negros Occidental, still maintain open dumpsites to close these facilities within six months, or charges will be filed against them.

“We welcome the DENR order, especially that they will assist us by providing technical assistance in establishing a waste disposal facility and so the city can secure an Environmental Compliance Certificate on the property it will purchase,” Gasataya said.

The Clean and Green Action Team, chaired by Gasataya, had earlier recommended that the city prepare to purchase a property to be developed into a waste disposal facility to comply with the standards required by R.A. 9003.

Gasataya said the three sites they are recommending are the 63-hectare Moya property in Brgy. Cabug, the 6-hectare Gallespin property between Brgys. Felisa and Cabug and the 7-hectare Lopez property in Brgy. Felisa.

He said the Moya property is being offered at P150 per square meter, the Gallespin property at P400 per square meter, and the Lopez property at P600 per square meter.

Gasataya said he met with the Appraisal Committee recently and was told that they are about to finish the evaluation and appraisal of the three properties. He said they will then endorse the appraisal to the mayor so he will have a basis for deciding on which of the three properties the city will purchase for a waste disposal facility.        

The next thing the city will have to consider is the huge budget it will entail to come up with a landfill site, Gasataya said, adding that this will run up to hundreds of millions.

“With the assistance to be provided by the DENR, I hope the expenses of the city will be reduced,” he said.

Gasataya, however, recalled that during their meeting with Antonio Oposa Jr. of The Law of Nature Foundation, the group had acknowledged that it would be very expensive to put up a landfill site. So they are encouraging local governments to go into waste reduction and eventually to “zero waste,” which they prefer over landfill, he said. 

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary Lito Atienza, in a statement from his office, said he is giving the local government units a grace period of six months to comply with the law.

But he said that after two months, DENR regional officials will start checking on the compliance of the concerned LGUs.

Atienza said there are still 826 open dumpsites in various parts of the country.

A list of open dumpsites of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, as of the fourth quarter of 2007, shows that 12 of the 826 listed are in Negros Occidental.

These are located in Brgy. Felisa, Bacolod City; Sitio Pandan, Brgy. Ma-ao, Bago City; Sitio Minubuno, Brgy. Tigbon, Calatrava; Brgy. Mabini, Escalante City; Brgy. Iglau-an, Murcia; Hacienda Coscolluela, Brgy. Poblacion II, Sagay City; Brgy. Poblacion, San Enrique; Brgy. E. Lopez, Silay City; Brgy. Gil Montilla, Sipalay City; Zone III, Brgy. Catabla, Talisay City; and Hacienda San Ramon, Victorias City.

Atienza said open dumpsites are very unsanitary because these attract all kinds of parasites that could make people ill, and garbage accumulated in the dumpsites produce leachate that contaminate the groundwater.

Methane gas emitted by decaying organic matter in dumpsites has greater global warming potential by about 21 times as compared to carbon dioxide, he also said.*CGS

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