By CESAR JOLITO III
Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya inspected the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa to ensure operational safety and regulatory compliance following the deadly landfill collapse in Cebu City earlier this month.
The inspection comes after a January 8 incident in Cebu City’s Barangay Binaliw, where a landfill collapse killed 11 waste facility workers and injured several others, raising concerns over landfill safety standards nationwide.
Gasataya said the visit aimed to verify the compliance of the city’s new garbage hauler — a joint venture composed of International Solid Waste Integrated Management Specialists Inc. (I-Swims), D.C. Sandil Construction and Realty Development Inc., and San Igmedio Builders Inc. — with required safety measures.
“We want to make sure that proper soil covering, sloping and other safety protocols are strictly followed, so a similar incident will not happen in Bacolod,” the mayor said.
Cell No. 5
During the inspection, Gasataya noted that I-Swims had provided additional trucks and designated lanes to improve the flow of dump trucks entering the landfill. The contractor also committed to start the construction of Sanitary Landfill Cell No. 5 this month.
Cell No. 5, which will be built adjacent to the existing Cell No. 4, has a budget of P65 million and will cover two hectares.
Gasataya said the project is expected to be completed within six months.
Councilor Homer Bais, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod committee on environment and ecology, said I-Swims assured local officials that measures are in place to prevent a landslide similar to the Cebu incident.
“They are now conducting compacting and proper sloping of garbage to prevent any collapse,” Bais said.
Mario Sandil, I-Swims operations manager, said the company has implemented corrective interventions on the landfill, particularly in areas affected by previous practices.
He said slope protection and soil covering are ongoing, with garbage in Cell No. 4 being compacted to a depth of at least six meters using volcanic soil.
Meanwhile, Gasataya said the city government is awaiting the issuance of an Environmental Compliance Certificate for the Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technological Hub, also located in Barangay Felisa.
The P160-million facility will include the construction and site development of a Materials Recovery Facility, the procurement and installation of equipment and furnishings, and the implementation of electrical and lighting systems, aimed at improving the city’s solid waste management program./CJ, WDJ