Iloilo City to survey waste generation of barangays to strengthen segregation policy

SOURCE: http://www.bworldonline.com

ILOILO CITY — The city government will conduct a survey on the waste generation of barangays to strengthen the implementation of segregation and reduce the collection of mixed wastes.

General Services Office (GSO) head Joren F. Sartorio said they have tapped the University of the Philippines and the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) for the conduct of the Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS).

“It will be a random sampling to determine the present waste generation of the barangays,” Mr. Sartorio said in an interview.

The GSO is now in the process of procuring the materials and is targeting to start the survey by the third or fourth week of August.

Mr. Sartorio said they are already strictly enforcing the “No Segregation, No Collection” policy among institutional waste generators such as malls, factories, and warehouses.

However, garbage collectors still haul in mixed wastes from households.

“Waste segregation should start from the households,” the GSO chief said as he appealed to barangay officials to assist them in the campaign to reduce mixed wastes.

Around 300 tons of mixed wastes are collected in the city daily.

“If we segregate it, 50% is biodegradable and 25% is recyclable. So that will leave us about 25% residuals,” he said.

Residual waste is suited for landfills.