Antonio Camelo Tompar, chairman of the board of Pollution Abatement Systems Specialists Inc. (PASSI), says that the firm can start collecting, treating and disposing hospital wastes in Cebu after the environment department granted them the TSD (treatment, storage or disposal) and transport permits/ CDN PHOTO MOREXETTE MARIE ERRAM
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The state’s environment department has allowed a Cebu-based waste treatment facility to resume collecting and disposing infectious wastes from hospitals.
In a press conference held at City Sports Club, Cebu City today, Saturday (January 26), a top official from Pollution Abatement Systems Specialists Inc. (PASSI) announced that their firm could start operating again.
PASSI temporarily stopped their operations in June 2018 when medical wastes they collected were not placed with the proper label. The company has already rectified this mistake.
Antonio Camelo Tompar, chairman of the board of PASSI, said they were glad the central office of the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) allowed them to resume collecting medical wastes.
Tompar revealed to members of the media that DENR in Metro Manila approved their Treatment Storage Disposal (TSD) and transport permits. He also said they are granted permits to process two tons of medical wastes per hour.
Their permits took effect last Thursday, January 24 or more than two weeks since the issue on hospital wastes found floating on the seawaters around Lapu-Lapu City erupted.
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On that day when they were granted their permits, Tompar said they had already started collecting infectious wastes from the hospitals.
However, he did not disclose the names of these hospitals.
“We’re glad things were acted upon right away. The moment the permits were signed on January 24, we started collecting wastes from several hospitals already,” said Tompar.
Tompar said they were using autoclave technology which would use a type of pressure chamber to sterilize objects placed inside it.
PASSI’s treatment facility is based in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City./dbs