THE Quezon City government appealed on Thursday to Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to reconsider her plan to shut down the Payatas dump by the first quarter of 2017.
In a statement, the city’s Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department said Quezon City is making “every necessary step to address the concerns of the DENR secretary.”
“To this extent, the Quezon City government is appealing to Secretary Lopez that the city government be given sufficient time to prepare for all the vital adjustments to ensure minimal impact to the city’s solid waste management plan,” the department said.
The city’s waste hauling contract due to end this September “will serve as a pivotal moment to ensure the smooth transition for the city to dispose of its wastes in other alternative landfill sites.”
City administrator Aldrin Cuña said they have been studying feasible alternative landfills even before Lopez’s ordered Payatas’ closure.
Frederika Rentoy, EPWMD head, said the city generates 2,700 tons of trash a day, with 500 trucks deployed daily.
“Such number of vehicles would invariably affect the traffic situation in the alternative landfill to be utilized by Quezon City, be it in the Rizal provincial landfill in Rodriguez, Rizal, the Navotas-Tanza sanitary landfill via Manila North Harbor’s Pier 18, the Vitas Marine loading station, or elsewhere,” Rentoy said.
“It is important to consider the traffic impact as a result of the change in the collection-disposal route of trucks, to also minimize the effect in the garbage collection efficiency currently enjoyed by the city residents.”
Rentoy also asked Lopez to consider the livelihood of the garbage pickers to be affected by the closure.