Naga turns down LGU Pili’s trash dump request

By Ricky Siazon

The Naga City government turned down the request of the local government unit (LGU) of Pili, Camarines to allow the latter to temporarily dump its garbage at the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay San Isidro, the chief of the city’s Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) said.

Engr. Alexander N. Caning, ENRO chief, said that as much as they wish to grant the request, the city’s sanitary landfill has only a short life span so it cannot really accommodate solid waste from other municipalities.

He added that his office is exerting best efforts to extend its lifespan by having an effective and efficient solid waste segregation by making sure that only residual waste will be dumped there.

“If we are going to accommodate solid waste from other municipalities then it will defeat our purpose to extend life expectancy of our sanitary landfill,” Caning said.

Caning said that once the city government has established and developed a technology to turn waste into energy, that would be the time that they could accommodate solid waste from other towns.

The most that Naga can do for now is extend technical assistance to other LGUs on how to go about their solid waste management program, Caning said.

To recall, the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Pili, Camarines Sur led by acting Mayor Annalyn Bongalonta-Castillo passed Resolution No. 05, s. 2022 requesting the Naga City government to temporarily allow the municipality to dump garbage at its sanitary landfill due to the difficulty that the LGU is facing in garbage disposal.

The resolution cited that the problem on the garbage collection and disposal was “due to technical failure of the equipment” to operate the entry and movement of garbage trucks at the Pili Dumpsite in Bagong Sirang, Pili, Camarines Sur.

It also stated that the LGU-Pili is hopeful that the LGU-Naga will grant the request as both have commitment and mutual understanding to provide technical and operational assistance in case of emergency to the members of the Metro Naga Development Council, especially the municipality of Pili.

As of press time, the Pili ENRO is in the process of repairing its bulldozer at its dump site and LGU officials are finding solutions to its garbage disposal problems.