A total of 161 out the 178 local government units (LGUs) surrounding the Manila Bay area have been provided with shredder-composter units by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The turnover of the units--made possible through the office of Senator Cynthia A. Villar--is expected to help address the solid waste problem in Manila Bay. Each unit costs P1 million.
"This is a huge help to LGUs to comply with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. It is anchored on the support Senator Villar has been giving to us in the DENR," Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny D. Antiporda said in a statement Tuesday, May 11.
Antiporda, who also sits as the Manila Bay Anti-Pollution Task Force (MBAPTF) chief, said the move “raises the call for effective solid waste management as a major concern in the country’s discourse on governance, both at the national and local level".
The Manila Bay region consists of the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac in Central Luzon; Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna in Calabarzon; and the 16 cities and lone municipality in Metro Manila or the National Capital Region (NCR).
Of the 161 shredder-composter units distributed, Laguna received 30; Nueva Ecija, 30; Bulacan, 24; Pampanga, 22; Cavite, 23; Rizal, 14; Bataan, 12; and Tarlac, six. The units for the remaining 17 LGUs are up for bidding.
The DENR aims to complete the bidding process, installation, and turnover of the remaining units to their respective LGU-hosts within the second quarter.
Antiporda underscored the importance of the shredder-composter equipment as it will not only reduce the amount of waste that ends up in sanitary landfills, but also transform the diverted wastes into organic fertilizers and soil enhancers.
"We appeal to the LGUs to use these assets fully and properly," he said.
The first batch of five shredder-composter units was rolled out in December 2020 in San Fernando City and the towns of Apalit, Candaba, Guagua, and Magalang in the province of Pampanga.
The DENR said the equipment should be installed near the materials recovery facilities (MRFs) of the host LGUs and should be supplied with an independent electrical source fitted with an emergency shutdown device as a safety measure.