Osmeña: We save money if MRF at Inayawan landfill

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday said the city could save P1,300 per ton of garbage if the proposed Material Recovery Facility at the old landfill in Barangay Inayawan will be established.

“You know, if we can reduce our garbage because they will separate it, I don’t know why they didn’t think of that. We will save P1,300 a ton,” he told a press conference.

“We will save P 1, 300 per ton. So if we can save 50 percent we will save a lot of money,” he said.

He made the statement when sought for comment on the proposed ordinance of City Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr., chairman of the committee on public services and a Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan ally of the mayor.

In a separate interview, opposition Councilor Joel Garganera, who formerly headed the council committee on environment, said setting up the MRF at the Inayawan landfill is a violation of the Court of Appeals closure order, which prohibited the dumping of all forms of garbage.

“It’s difficult to comment as to what they are talking about, especially if they likewise don’t know what they are saying. If they are referring to the interior of the landfill where they establish an MRF, they can’t do that. The landfill is ordered closed by the CA,” he told The FREEMAN.

He said establishing an MRF at the landfill cannot be considered as part of rehabilitation, which the CA allowed.

“The purpose of an MRF is for receiving, sorting, processing, and storing compostable and recyclable materials efficiently. And these are NEVER an act for the rehabilitation of the facility,” Garganera further said.

Because of the city’s plans, he said, he would draft a report to be submitted to the CA.

Told of Garganera’s plan, Gabuya said his fellow councilor got his reasoning confused.

“We are not dumping. MRF is different from dumping. Na-confuse lang na siya (Garganera),” he said.

Gabuya said the city government has been complying with the court’s order by submitting all their plans on the landfill, which was closed 10 months ago.

He said that his proposed ordinance on the establishment of the MRF is meant to have an efficient and effective way to treat the city’s tons of trash.

The move, Gabuya said, is pursuant to Section 32 of Republic Act 9003 (Solid Waste Management Act), which provides that the local government unit should establish an MRF.

As proposed the MRF at the Inayawan landfill will process different types of wastes, including organic waste, paperboard, wood, plastic, construction and demolition waste, textile, tins, rubber, and bottles.

The MRF will be operative within 24 hours a day which is expected to process and treat tons of garbage. Budget for its establishment will be charged to the city’s capital outlay for solid waste management.

The city said there is a probability that it would be through a contractual arrangement, such as a public-private partnership, a joint venture, or a buildoperate-transfer scheme.

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office was the one tasked to establish the MRF as soon as Gabuya’s legislation gets execute the legislation once it was approved before the City Council.