March 29, 2024

BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Bontoc local government unit recently opened the P5.4 million engineered sanitary landfill located at Am-ancho, Barangay Bontoc Ili.

Mayor Franklin Odsey assured the facility will allow safe and sanitary disposal of garbage generated in the capital town. 

Municipal Government Assistant Department Head Roger Agcapen of the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (Menro) said the sanitary landfill would only cater to residual wastes.  

He said the sanitary landfill has one cell and measures 500 square meters wide and three-meter height.  

Agcapen said the sanitary landfill used high-density polyethylene resin liner to prevent any leachate leakage that might contaminate the environment.

Gas vents are also in place to ensure there will be no build-up of methane gas in the landfill. The leachate from the landfill will be directed to the wastewater treatment facility to ensure only clean and safe water will be released back to the environment. 

Agcapen added vegetation will be done once the engineered sanitary landfill reaches its lifespan. 

He appealed to the public to practice segregation at the source to ensure only residual wastes will be deposited at the engineered sanitary landfill. 

Biodegradable wastes will be processed in the composting facility while the recyclables will to go the materials recovery facility and junkshops.

The bottles will be processed as eco-blocks as bottle crushers, plastic shredders, and hollow block makers are set up at the Am-ancho solid waste management facility. 

Per record from the Menro, the four central barangays of Bontoc produces an estimated one ton of biodegradable wastes per day and 20 cubic meters of residual wastes per week. 

Odsey expressed gratitude to stakeholders for their support in solving the garbage problem in the capital town. 

He recalled how the filing of the Writ of Kalikasan against Bontoc in August 2012 for its open dumping of waste along the Chico River has challenged Bontoc and how the Court of Appeals ordered the closure and rehabilitation of the dumpsite.

The filing of a case against Bontoc and the closure of the town’s dumpsite challenged the municipal government to come up with plans and programs to address the garbage problem and solid waste management.

The facility will not only cater to the central barangays comprising Poblacion, Bontoc Ili, Caluttit, and Samoki, but also to barangays Bayyo, Talubin, Bontoc, and Tocucan; Alab Oriente, Alab Proper, Balili, and Gononogon; and barangays Guina-ang, Mainit, Dalican, and Maligcong. 

To minimize the generation of residual waste, the sangguniang bayan passed Ordinance 212, s. 2013 in December prohibiting the use of plastic bags for dry goods, regulating its use on wet goods, and prohibiting the use of Styrofoam.  

The LGU implemented the ecological solid waste management system such as segregation at source, segregated collection, the establishment of materials recovery facilities, and other recycling and composting methods. 

With the support of the community, the LGU instituted programs with the goals of closing the decades-old dumpsite and instilling a new sustainable paradigm in solid waste management.

Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 mandates LGUs to be responsible for the implementation and enforcement of within their jurisdictions to ensure the protection of public health and the environment.

It likewise mandates the LGUs to construct operate and maintain waste disposal sites. – Alpine L. Killa- Malwagay