An aerial view of the Inayawan landfill which Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña plans to reopen. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
THE plan of Cebu City Mayor-elect Tomas Osmeña to reopen the Inayawan sanitary landfill has drawn varied reactions from stakeholders.
William Cuñado, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) regional director, said the landfill may be reopened, but Cebu City officials would have to comply with the guidelines.
“I respect sa iyang (Osmena) opinion with the intent to operate properly the landfill but tan-awon usa nato ang proposal ni Mayor Tom (I respect his opinion with the intent to operate properly the landfill but we have to look at the proposal of Mayor Tom),” he said in a phone interview.
Environmental lawyer Benjamin Cabrido, for his part, said Osmeña should consult all stakeholders first. The city government should also set aside funds for a good waste management program, he added.
“Dili pwede nga di kita mogasto kon gusto ta og nindot nga waste management system (We have to spend if we want to have a good waste management system),” he said.
Former landfill manager Randy Navarro, for his part, said the landfill may be reopened but only as a transfer station.
“If i-open, just for unloading lang siya sa basura unya mag-sorting unya ibalik ang basura og haul padung didto sa Consolacion,” he said.
He also suggested that the plastic-to-fuel facility of Mansei Recycle Systems Co. at the landfill be put to use.
Cuñado said Republic Act 9003, or the Solid Waste Management law, lists conditions for the establishment of a landfill.
These are the putting in place of: liners that will help reduce or prevent contaminant flow to groundwater; leachate collection and treatment system; gas control and recovery system; groundwater monitoring well system; two forms of cover consisting of soil and geosynthetic materials to protect the waste from long-term contact with the environment; closure procedure with the objectives of establishing low maintenance cover systems; and final cover that minimizes the infiltration of precipitation into the waste.
The Inayawan landfill was ordered closed in 2012 by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Central Visayas (DENR-7) after it exceeded its capacity. It has since become an open dump site, which is illegal under RA 9003.
When Cebu Daily News visited the landfill yesterday, only Mansei was operating there, crushing plastic wastes into smaller pieces.