The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has completed the closure of all 335 open dumpsites in the country and these will have to undergo a safe closure and rehabilitation plan.
DENR said the closures are in line with the strict enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 that prohibits the operation of open dumpsites where solid waste is deposited without planning and consideration for environmental and health standards.
Environmental Secretary Roy Cimatu said the move was “long overdue” but was achieved “despite the limitations brought about by the pandemic.”
DENR said with the closure of all open dumpsites, local government units (LGU) have the option to bring their solid waste to existing sanitary landfills (SLF) or to a residual containment area.
A residual containment area is a temporary storage of residual wastes while negotiating a memorandum of agreement with another LGU operating a SLF, or finalizing a contract with a privately operated SLF, or awaiting operationalization of its own SLF.
DENR is currently proposing to its Environmental Management Bureau for SLFs to be allowed for private operations or through public-private partnership to ensure compliance with all the requirements for operating SLFs and encourage better management.
There are currently 237 operational SLFs in the country with 11 more under construction.
Amid this development, DENR said it filed cases against the mayor of Urdaneta, Pangasinan for violations in the environmental clearance certificate of the town’s SLF and the mayor of Sta Ana, Pampanga for the operation of an open dumpsite in his area of jurisdiction. – Jed Macapagal
