There’s no looming garbage disposal crisis in sight with the closure of Navotas Sanitary Landfill (SNLF) on Tuesday, according to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Romando Artes.
Seven cities in the National Capital Region—Manila, Navotas, Pasay, Parañaque, Pasig, Malabon, and Valenzuela—were affected by the closure and were advised to redirect their waste to the New San Mateo Sanitary Landfill (NSMSLF), being managed and operated by the MMDA.
“As early as March 2024, we notified the affected cities about the scheduled closure of the Navotas Sanitary Landfill. There have been several discussions on this. So, this is not sudden. We don’t see a looming garbage disposal crisis,” said Artes.
Other cities, especially those in the eastern part of Metro Manila, use the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill located in Rodriguez town, which is being managed by the Integrated Solid Waste Management System (ISWMS).
The ISWMS involves a collaboration of multiple stakeholders, including government agencies (national and local) and private companies.
On Tuesday, Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso confirmed that he received a letter from Artes advising the city to divert its waste to San Mateo.
Artes told Manila Standard the Navotas Sanitary Landfill was expropriated as part of an ongoing airport development project.
On July 31, the MMDA conducted a consultative meeting with local government units to discuss positive steps regarding the closure of the Navotas Sanitary Landfill. This is to ensure the smooth transition and more effective management of solid waste in Metro Manila cities.
Some of the topics discussed were reassignment of the new sanitary landfill to LGUs, adjusting the budget to accommodate new requirements for collection, transfer, and transport, and strengthening technical support and coordination between agencies.
Based on a report from the Environmental Management Bureau–National Capital Region in 2021, the Navotas Sanitary Landfill is being managed by Phil Ecology Systems Corp. (Phileco).
Phileco started as one of the departments of R-II Builders Inc., which was engaged in environment-oriented business. Its establishment coincided with the implementation of the Smokey Mountain Development and Reclamation Project in 1998.
The 40-hectare sanitary landfill in Barangay Tanza is the first Bay Area-type engineered sanitary landfill in the Philippines, which accommodates 3,000 tons per day of municipal solid waste from various cities in NCR. The sanitary landfill has been operational since 2006.
The MMDA reported that Metro Manila produces at least 9,000 tons of garbage every day, which accounts for nearly 25% of the country’s total daily waste production of 40,000 tons.
To address the garbage problem, which contributes to massive flooding in Metro Manila, the agency is considering the use of waste-to-energy incinerators.
This proposal was first introduced during the tenure of then MMDA chairman and former senator Francis Tolentino. At that time, the Metro Manila Council, the governing and policy-making body of the agency, passed a resolution advocating for the implementation of waste-to-energy incinerators.
The council proposed the establishment of at least four incinerators to manage garbage across the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western regions of Metro Manila. The government is projected to spend at least P7 billion on each incinerator.
The MMDA encourages public cooperation in proper waste disposal and emphasizes civic responsibility to help manage the increasing volume of trash, which can overwhelm landfills.
