Cebu City’s Php51-M Garbage Tipping Fee Budget Used Up – Exec

The Cebu City government’s Php51-million budget for garbage tipping fees has been used up as of Aug. 10, an official said.

Department of Public Services (DPS) Chief Rolando Ardosa said the city is now experiencing problems in collecting and disposing trash from the barangays to the private sanitary landfill in Barangay Pulog, Consolacion town in northern Cebu.

In Barangay Zapatera, one of the city’s urban barangays, some residents said their garbage remain uncollected for almost a week now.

Ardosa said the executive department included an Php87-million budget for this purpose in the proposed Php3.32-billion first supplemental budget (SB1), but the Cebu City Council has yet to approve it.

“The private sanitary landfill had agreed that the city’s payment would be late. But now, it is pressuring the city to pay its debt,” Ardosa said.

He did not disclose how much the city owes the private sanitary landfill, recovery and power generation facility, which is operated by the Asian Energy Systems Corp.

The city is paying Php700 per ton of garbage dumped at the landfill.

The city disposes an average of 300 tons of trash every day, which means an expense of Php210,000 a day for tippings fees.

Solid Waste and Management Board (SWMB) Chief Janesis Ponce said they are also having problems with the financial support for the operation of the waste transfer station in Barangay Inayawan.

With funds for the tipping fee depleted, Ponce said fewer trucks haul garbage from the transfer station to Consolacion.

From 20 10-wheeler trucks, Ponce said, the private hauler now only deploys 10. (PNA) FPV/EB/EDS