Composting site at SRP on Nov. 23

City official says  2 bio-waste  firms  ‘could not cope’ with trash volume

Cebu City will continue clearing a one-hectare area  near Pond A in the South Road Properties (SRP) for a composting site instead of using two private bio-waste facilities   near the Inayawan Landfill  which said their operations were not  maximized.

Jade Ponce, head of the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB), said the city had  stopped contracting the services of   the two facilities  because they “could not cope” with the city’s volume of waste.

However, he said the city is willing to renew the services of Bio Nutrient Waste Management Inc. and EVO Ventures Inc. once they clean up their facilities and assure they can handle the job.  He said he hasn’t heard from them yet.

“We had to stop because they couldn’t cope anymore.  Their facilities were already full. They  looked like a dumpsite and an extension of the landfill,” said Ponce.

The new composting site will operate by November 23, said Arlie Gesta, city environment officer.

In Wednesday’s executive session of the City Council, Emma Ramas of Bio Nutrient said they were told to stop operating last January when the Inayawan landfill was closed and the city stopped delivering  biodegradable wastes.   She said they were handling 60 tons a day but could expand to double capacity.

Edwin Ortiz of EVO Ventures  converts trash to fuel but its Waste Transfer Station in Inaywan hasn’t been used as the city is using a different facility.

City Councilors expressed surprise that the two facilities, and the Mansei Recycle Sytems Co.  plastic-to-fuel facility were operating below capacity for lack of  garbage deliveries.