The Bacolod City government, together with private garbage hauler IPM-Construction and Development Corp. (CDC), will soon launch the use of a mobile application (app) that will allow households and business establishments in the city to book a garbage pick-up.

City administrator Pacifico Maghari III said yesterday the garbage hauler, whose new contract runs from May to December this year, has already presented the development of the “My Basurero” app to the city officials.

“We are trying to target that within the year, you will just have to make a booking for your garbage pick-up,” he told reporters.

Maghari said that through the mobile app, the user would know the arrival schedule of the garbage truck and would be able to track the time the garbage is collected.

“[Through] data analytics, all the activities of the garbage pick-up can be tracked. The mayor [Alfredo Abelardo Benitez] also mentioned installing CCTV [closed-circuit television] cameras for monitoring,” he added.

The “My Basurero” app, which also includes several other features, is being developed by IPM-CDC’s sister firm, Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies, Inc.

Starting May 1 this year, IPM-CDC was awarded a contract worth almost P184 million for the collection, hauling and disposal of garbage, and P64 million for the management and operation of the sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa.

Maghari said during the Solid Waste Management Board meeting presided by Benitez earlier this week, there was a discussion on the limitations posed by alleys or narrow roads during garbage collection.

“Garbage trucks cannot pass through these alleys. It was discussed that the barangays will instead gather the trash to be collected and bring it to a pick-up point, where the garbage truck passes by,” he said. (PNA)