Mandaue and DENR-7 officials meet to discuss Korean Garbage at the Bureau of Customs in pier 6. | PHOTO By Christian Maningo
The 2,500 metric tons of wood chips, which came in with the shredded plastic wastes from South Korea, will be auctioned off by the Bureau of Customs.
BOC-Cebu together with the Mandaue City government and the shipper Neogreen made the decision during a meeting on Friday morning at the BOC-Cebu office.
“With regards to the (wood) chips, they will be auctioned out considering the fact that they are already seized by the Bureau of Customs. Sumabog na siya sa packaging eh (The wood chips have bursted out of their packaging) so there’s no way we can bring it back to the vessel. So it’s okay, we will auction (them) out. They can be of use pa sa mga power plant probably,” BOC-Cebu district collector Elvira Cruz said.
Cruz said that they will likely auction the materials off to power plant companies.
Through a letter sent to Cruz, Mandaue City Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing expressed no opposition to the BOC’s plan of auctioning the wood chips if the move will mean lessening the nuisance caused by the trash to the City.
Hauling out of the 2,500 metric tons of shredded plastic wastes, which was dumped in a private lot in Barangay Tingub, Mandaue City was also moved to Saturday.
The shredded plastic wastes was illegally dumped in a private lot in Barangay Tingub in Mandaue City last January 21.
Cruz said the shredded plastic wastes will be shipped back to South Korea.
The vessel will leave for South Korea in the same day as soon as the hauling of plastics is finished. The plastics will be shipped back to the Port of Jeju.
The shredded plastic wastes were discovered by the Mandaue City Environment and Natural Resources Office (MCENRO) illegally dumped in a private lot in Barangay Tingub during their inspection last Feb. 7, after receving complaints from the residents about a pungent odor.
During their meeting earlier, Edmund Roxas, representative of Neogreen, said that the plastics were supposed to be compacted and be converted into briquettes here in the Philippines, a material for fuel, and will be brought back to South Korea.