Consolacion landfill willing to accept Cebu City garbage

EVEN with its pending dues, the operator of the private landfill in Consolacion is willing to accept the garbage from Cebu City while it has yet to find another dumping area.

Councilor Joel Garganera presented a certification from Asian Energy Systems Corp., the company that operates the private landfill in Consolacion, that said they can temporarily allow the City Government to dump inside their facility.

The City owes the pri- vate landfill some P32 million as tipping fee that was incurred during the previous administration.

The management has already billed to the City, but Mayor Tomas Osmeña refused to pay it since they did not enter into any contract with the City.

But since the City is in need of another area for its garbage, the private landfill is willing to help the City.

With the commitment, Garganera said the City should already shut down the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill, which started its operation in 1998 yet.

Problems

During the hearing before the Court of Appeals (CA) last Monday, Osmeña said the City can’t immediately stop the operation of the landfill since it will be confronted with bigger problems.

One of which, he said, is finding another area where the garbage will be thrown.

While this developed, Garganera said that as of the moment, he will not make any committee report on the proposed P10-million allocation for the purchase of anapog or limestone for the landfill.

A resolution on the purchase of the limestone has been pending before the City Council’s committee on environment, which Garganera chairs.

The limestone will be used to cover the trash dumped in the 15-hectare facility, as a way to limit the stench.

WGarganera reiterated his stand that the operation of the operation is illegal.

He said the executive department has P600 million proposal under the 2017 annual budget for the rehabilitation and closure of the landfill, which Osmeña can used.

“He already said that there is that P600 million, which he can use, so he better use it,” Garganera said.

The proposed annual budget is still pending before the Council for approval.

Order

In Talisay City, Mayor Eduardo Gullas is not clos- ing the possibility of allowing Cebu City to dump its garbage in their landfill.

In a press conference yesterday, Gullas told reporters that he is considering the idea after Environment Secretary Regina Paz Lopez ordered the closure of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill last week.

Gullas said Cebu City might consider Talisay as an option since it is closer than Consolacion.

He said the City’s landfill has not been sanctioned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for environmental violations.

But Gullas said that he, along with members of the City Council, wants to wait for proposals from interested local government units before they decide.

He also said they are currently in talks with three private firms who plan to put up waste-to-energy facilities in Talisay.

But he also plans to consult experts on the possible effects on Talisay’s landfill if they allow other local government units to dump garbage there.

Last week, Lopez ordered the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill closed due to various reasons, including its location, which is near the sea.

But while he was willing to follow Lopez’s order, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said that he can’t close the city landfill until such time that the Court of Appeals issues the temporary environmental protection order.