Iloilo City prepares for new waste facility as landfill closure nears
ILOILO CITY—With the city’s sanitary landfill in Barangay Calahunan set to reach its limit by 2026, the local government here is planning to secure a long-term solution for its waste problem by establishing an integrated solid waste management facility.
According to Engineer Neil Ravena, head of the city’s General Services Office, the city would begin the process of implementing its updated 10-year Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Plan (2017-2026), with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) closely monitor the closure of the Calahunan Sanitary Landfill (CSL).
“We will be closing the sanitary landfill in 2026 since that’s the lifespan of our landfill. The DENR will be monitoring to ensure its proper closure. All permits and conditions defined under environmental regulations set by DENR will end in 2026,” he said last week.
Last Jan. 30, the city council gave the go signal to implement the updated ESWM Plan, a crucial step toward transitioning to an integrated solid waste management facility.
As part of the closure process, the city is required to submit a safe closure plan. This includes building a drainage system to control leachate and applying a soil cover to permanently seal the landfill, preventing further contamination.
Sustainable option
The updated ESWM plan is not just about shutting down the landfill but also Iloilo’s ticket to a more sustainable waste management system, according to Ravena.
The plan will allow the city to secure the necessary permits for the construction of a new integrated solid waste management facility in Barangay Ingore, located some six kilometers from the city proper.
Designed to handle the city’s growing waste volume, currently averaging at 400 tons a day, the new facility will feature a large material recovery center where waste will be separated and processed.
The city government has yet to announce how much the new facility will cost and where it will source the fund.
The CLS has also been undergoing transformation for years now, with bamboo planted in the area in 2020 now growing in some parts of the landfill.
A key component in the new facility is the waste-to-energy system that will transform up to 90 percent of the city’s organic waste into usable energy, significantly reducing the amount of trash that ends up in dumpsites. The remaining non-organic waste will undergo separate processing to ensure minimal environmental impact.
The city, which has a population of 457,626 people (2020 census), collects its some 400 tons of trash a day from households, business establishments, offices and other public and private facilities. It spent about P332.8 million in 2021 to collect and dispose of its trash while earning P55.8 million in garbage fees. In 2022, the city earned P55.92 in garbage fees.
Ravena said the city is currently securing all required permits with the environmental compliance certificate already under review at the DENR central office.
Once the necessary permits and the environmental compliance certificate are approved, the city will have 18 months to complete the construction of the new solid waste management facility which will be capable of processing Iloilo City’s daily waste output.
