Bacolod reassess waste management issues

ALYSSA GABRIELLE PALALON & LOIS IMMANUELLE VELASCO

that produce methanes that damages the environment, he went on to say that practicing recycling, reducing, reusing, and refusing, would be helpful.

PROPER WASTE DISPOSITION. Bacolod City is highly urbanized and progressive with a population of around six hundred thousand people, which has influenced the waste generation of the locality, with a concerning number of approximately 500 tons of garbage per day, based on the data of the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB).

Department Head of Public Services,

Ramel Palalon, shared his thoughts on the quality of waste management in Bacolod City, as the concerning rate of waste generation in the area reminded the people of the essence of the City’s observation of proper disposal and waste management.

“I have been in this field for ten (10) years. It is a technical job but likewise inspiring as we help maintain the cleanliness of the environment as much as possible. [...] The most challenging matter I have encountered in this field is educating people on appropriately discarding garbage and noncontinuity of beneficial projects due to politics,” said Palalon when asked about his time in the field and his experiences.

Palalon emphasized that the people should practice proper waste segregation to avoid more landfills

“The City of Bacolod is exercising all efforts to have effective waste management as per R.A. 9003, but difficulties surfaced because of the noncooperation of residents. The non-cooperation of locals has invoked a need for more enforcement to apprehend violators of garbage disposal,” Palalon stated when asked if the City has done enough regarding the issue.

Several areas in Bacolod City housed small-scale garbage dumpsites along the road, trucks headed for the actual dumpsites were not able to gather the waste due to the amount of scraps they already carried.