UPDATED ESWM PLAN. Engineer Neil Ravena, chief of the General Services Office (GSO), explains before the regular session of the city council the urgency of the adoption and approval of the updated Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Plan of Iloilo City during the regular session on Thursday (Jan. 30, 2025). The city government is gearing up for a transition to an integrated solid waste management facility with the impending closure of its sanitary landfill in 2026. (PNA photo by PGLena)
ILOILO CITY – The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on Thursday the updated 10-year Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Plan (2017-2026) to prepare for the transition to an integrated solid waste management facility as the city’s sanitary landfill nears its closure in 2026.
Engineer Neil Ravena, chief of the General Services Office (GSO), underscored the urgency of adopting the updated plan, citing the need for a new waste facility.
“We will be closing the sanitary landfill for 2026 since that’s the lifespan of our landfill. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be monitoring that there should be a closure of our sanitary landfill. So, all permits and conditions defined under environmental conditions given by DENR will end in 2026,” Ravena said.
The updated plan enables the city to secure necessary permits for the new integrated solid waste management facility, which will be built in Barangay Ingore.
The facility will feature a large material recovery center to process waste, with a waste-to-energy component to convert organic waste into energy.
The GSO head said all requests for permits and the environmental compliance certificate are currently at the DENR central office.
“Right after the approval of those, we will still have 18 months to construct the facility that will accept the 400 tons per day waste of Iloilo City,” he added.
In a follow-up interview, Ravena said they still need to submit the safe closure plan of the sanitary landfill and construct a drainage system for the leachate and soil cover to permanently close the facility in Barangay Calahunan.(PNA)
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