Starting July 1, the Quezon City Government will no longer collect garbage that is not properly segregated.
This was announced by QC Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department during the launching of the Hiwa-hiwalay na Basura sa Barangay Program last Thursday.
The objectives of this project are to reduce and minimize wastes generated at sources and to be able to divert at least 50% of solid wastes from being disposed at the Quezon City Sanitary Landfill by implementing various waste diversion techniques such as resource recovery, recycling and reuse of wastes.
Prior to the strict implementation of the “No Segregation No Collection” scheme, a dry run shall be conducted for at least two (2) weeks.
This shall serve as the adjustment period for the community to comply with the collection system and for them to actually learn how to segregate their wastes.
After the dry run, strict implementation of the “No Segregation No Collection” policy shall be observed by the barangays in coordination with the EPWMD.
Unsegregated wastes will not be collected. Notices of Violation will be issued to those not following the policy.
For the dry run period, garbage collection will be done thrice (3) a week in every barangay or district. On each of the 3 days, a specific type of garbage will be collected.
For example, garbage collections on Monday and Wednesday will be reserved for biodegradable while Wednesday will be reserved for non-biodegradable and residual wastes.
But on the full implementation of waste segregation, it is hoped that garbage collection will be done twice a week, to collect only biodegradable. Recyclables should remain at the barangay Material Recovery Facility (MRFs)..
Wastes must only be placed outside in front of the household premises within the scheduled day and time of collection.
The Project is to be implemented in six (6) Service Areas identified as Service Areas I, II-A, II-B, II-C, III and IV. Only Barangay Holy Spirit which has its own collection fleet and which has long been independent in the management of its solid waste is excluded.
It is stipulated under Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, that segregation and collection of solid waste shall be conducted at the barangay level.
Under City Ordinance No. SP-1707, S-2006, all household, institutional, industrial and commercial wastes and/or garbage are required to be segregated into wet or biodegradable, and dry or non-biodegradable, pursuant to RA 9003.
EDWMD said all dump trucks that will be utilized for the dedicated collection should be properly marked with “biodegradable” and “Non-biodegradable” wastes; or “Compostables”, “Kitchen Wastes”, “Recyclables”, and “Residual Wastes”, depending on the types of segregated wastes that will be collected in the Barangay.
Liga ng mga Barangay Councilor Ranulfo Ludovica said that everyone in the barangay who loves his family, friends and neighbors should wholeheartedly help implement the waste segregation program to ensure that the environment is protected for the future generations.
Ludovica warned that the flashfloods and/or flooding that happened when Ondoy hit the country could occur again if nobody will act now to fight climate change and one way to start this is through waste segregation.
He added that for a program to be successful, all persons should participate. Divine/ Maureen Quinones, PAISO
We are also experiencing the problem of uncollected garbage. The Barangay people do not really care after calling them about the problem. Must be “Daang Matuwid” style at work. Right now we have piles of garbage in front of the house that remained uncollected for several days already even though we segregated them into biodegrable & recyclables. Garbage collectors do not want to haul heavy garbage unless you pay them.
Remember that come Christmas time. Do not tip them when they hand you that envelope. We used to give them P500. Now we give them zero. As for the unresponsive and useless barangay people, know who they are so come election time vote them out. Tell your neighbors too.