BAGUIO CITY – The city government is shifting away from traditional segregation and waste management methods in operating its new three-hectare materials recovery facility (MRF) in Barangay Dontogan.
The new method aims to cut waste volume without spending much on hauling garbage to the landfill, General Services Office chief, Eugene Buyucan, said in an interview on Thursday.
Buyucan explained that the MRF would use modern waste management technologies to ensure the proper handling and processing of different types of waste.
These include a box feeder with conveyor, bag breaker or opener, trommel screen, air separator, manual sorting platform, hydraulic baler machine, belt conveyor, shredder, magnetic separator, bottle or glass crusher, used tire shredder, and textile or fabric shredder.
“These pieces of equipment are expected to boost the city’s waste management efforts in line with its thrust to promote waste reduction and transition from linear to circular economy where waste is minimized and transformed into resources,” Buyucan said.
The city has been actively promoting a circular economy, encouraging residents to reuse, recycle, and repurpose waste to minimize what is sent to the engineered sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac.
Buyucan cited the city’s new motto: “Basura mo, Bawasan mo” (Reduce your waste), urging households to cut waste at the source while practicing segregation, reuse, and recycling.
If garbage volume is reduced, he said, transport and hauling costs would also decrease, enabling the city government to save at least PHP200 million in waste management budget annually.
These funds, he added, could be redirected to other programs.
The city is also advocating for the sale of recyclable materials in junk shops or sustainability markets instead of mixing them with other waste.
Biodegradable materials are encouraged to be composted at home to further reduce garbage weight.
At the MRF, shredded bottles will be processed and sold, while discarded cloth will be provided to women’s groups for conversion into rags and other repurposed products, creating livelihood opportunities. (PNA)