D avao city’s mandatory segregation of solid wastes policy has resulted in less garbage being collected daily in the last few months of 2011.
City Environment and Natural Resources Officer Atty. Joseph Dominic Felizarta said the “No segregation, No collection” policy caused the decline of collected waste to about 380 tons per day from the 480 tons since the start of the policy’s implementation.
Prior to the execution of the mandatory waste segregation on July 1, 2011, waste collections reached to 600 to 700 tons per day.
However, Felizarta said during Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw that the collection in December last year reached 385 tons per day due to the holiday activities.
He added that there was no strict execution of the segregation policy on December 24 and during New Year’s day.
With the stringent implementation of waste segregation under the city’s Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance of 2009, Felizarta disclosed that already 1,600 violators had been apprehended.
The figure included the 90 violators who were arrested in the period of December 1-23, 2011.
Felizarta said 400 cases have been filed against the violators for non-segregation of wastes, with one conviction resulting in a fined P1,000.
“Others will follow as summons have already been issued to them,” Felizarta said.
Under Section 10 of the solid waste management ordinance, “the segregation of waste at source by generators as household and all establishments is mandatory.”
The penalty for violating this particular provision is a fine of P300.00 and mandatory seminar for the first offense.
Second-time offenders are required to pay a fine of P500.00 or five-day community service, while third-time violators have to pay a penalty of P1,000 or ten-day community service.
For the 4th and succeeding offense, violators shall be prosecuted in court with a maximum penalty of P5,000 or six months imprisonment if convicted. [PIA 11/CARINA L. CAYON]
