Secretary Gina Lopez of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources opened and inaugurated Iloilo City’s engineered sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Calajunan in Mandurriao district over the weekend.
Joren Sartorio, chief of the city general services office, said the DENR chief inspected the P200-million facility covering 3.3 hectares inside the 23-hectare Calajunan dumpsite owned by the city government.
Sartorio said the sanitary landfill project was mandated under Republic Act 9003 or the Solid Waste Management Act.
The sanitary landfill facility was realized with a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines in 2014. The project, which is a joint venture undertaking by contractors Persons and Sta Clara, includes several cell sites, ponds, wash bay and water treatment of the leacheate from garbage water.
The GSO is also requesting the Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR to conduct water testing and determine the water quality to be drained towards the creek.
Iloilo City produces 260 metric tons of garbage daily. Only residual or excess wastes are to be dumped at the landfill facility.
An organization of women salvagers was organized two years ago and is now producing fancy jewelry items and household decors made from recyclable scraps gathered from the dumpsite.
Some of their products are sold in the local markets and exported to Saudi Arabia for overseas Filipinos.