Auditors commend solid waste management of Laoag City

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LOCAL governments can learn a thing or two from Laoag City about the proper handling of trash.

In a 52-page Citizen Participatory Audit (CPA) report released last December 9, the Commission on Audit praised the city government for enforcing solid waste segregation, volume reduction, and the maintenance of a sanitary landfill.

“The CPA Team commends the city for its dedication to the effect and efficient implementation of its SWMP (solid waste management program) especially as regards the collection and transport of solid waste,” the auditors said.

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Six state auditors and three state auditing examiners were assisted by eight representatives of the Barangay Nutrition Scholars-Ilocos Norte Chapter in reviewing Laoag City’s SWMP in 2023.

The team noted that the city government earned the Solid Waste Enforcement Excellence Award on January 24, 2024 and the “well-managed barangay materials recovery facility” in the LGU category in 2023 during Ilocos Norte’s Annual Search for the Cleanest and Greenest City or Municipality.

Likewise, the city posted 98 percent in the enforcement of waste segregation at the source according to City Ordinance No. 2004-051 based on the audit team’s survey of 377 urban households, 377 rural households, and 344 commercial establishments.

“Waste segregation is enforced and primarily conducted at source to include households, institutional, industrial, and commercial and agricultural sources,” the audit team said.

Residents learned to comply after the city’s sanitation workers refused to collect garbage that was not segregated at the source under the city government’s No Segregation, No Collection policy.

For 30 city barangays that lack areas for composting activities, collectors haul both residual and biodegradable wastes.

On the other hand, in the 50 rural barangays where such areas exist, the city collects only the residual wastes.

On April 22, 2022, Laoag City closed down a five-hectare controlled dumpsite at Barangay No. 54-B Lagui-Sail even if it had a projected lifespan of at least 20 years in compliance with RA 9003 which prohibits the operation of any dumpsite.

At present, the city’s residual waste ends up at the 25,814 square meter Sanitary Landfill in Barangay 40 Balatong, which has a daily capacity of 14.5 tons.

Save for a reminder that the sanitation workers, including the dump truck drivers and four helpers on each truck, be strictly required to wear protective clothing during their collection duty, the audit team said Laoag City is already “continuously promoting best practices.”

On February 26, 2024, the city accepted 10 brand new dump trucks to augment its aging fleet of seven trucks hauling trash from 80 barangays.

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