Authors

J.G. Paul (AHT Group AG)
M. Buquiran (CENRO, Bais City)
E.T. Libradilla (City Engineering Office, Bais City)

[Excerpt from Summary]

As   in   other   developing   countries,  many  municipalities   in   the   Philippines struggle  to upgrade  their  solid waste management  system due  to  low budgets and  lack of
expertise. Although a new waste management law, the Republic Act 9003, was implemented in January 2001 in the Philippines, waste disposal remains mainly conducted on uncontrolled dumpsites,  which   lack  management,   controlling   and   environmental   protection  measures. Commonly,   the  locations  chosen  for  waste disposal  neglect   the  sensitivity of   surrounding natural   systems.   Because   of   practical   reasons,   most   dumpsites   are   located   in   natural depressions,  close  to  river  systems or  placed  in  lowlands,  where groundwater  and surface water reservoirs are in general more sensitive. To fulfill the legal requirements and to enhance the municipal waste management system, Bais City, a medium sized city in Negros Oriental, proposed to establish a municipal Waste Management and Recycling Center, wich integrates a landfill.  This  waste  management   facility  is  operational   since   July 2003.   In order   to  safe investment costs, the local government had decided to implement a Bentonite enhanced clay-lined   landfill   and   to   use   appropriate   technologies   instead   of   imported   equipments   and materials whenever  possible.  This paper  summarizes  the  technical  outline and experiences made during six years of landfill operation.