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MANDAUE CITY, Philippines ? The Mandaue City government plans to use ?biomen? to solve its garbage problem while they are still looking into the possibility of using plasma technology to incinerate the city?s 400 tons of garbage daily.
The biomen do not refer to the 90s television superheroes, but garbage collectors who will visit homes to get only the biodegradable wastes and deliver them to a common compost pit in the barangay (village).
This type of garbage segregation has been pilot-tested in Barangay Canduman in Mandaue City since February.
The bioman, aboard a trisikad, goes house to house to collect the biodegradable wastes from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. daily.
Canduman barangay Captain Leo Jabas said this was one of the projects he initiated for the barangay after considering growing population in the area because of people relocating and government housing projects being done.
The biomen are given a monthly allowance of P2,500.
There are 10 biomen in Canduman as initial personnel for the project.
Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes said he wants to replicate the ?biomen? project to other barangays.
Cortes said this will minimize the bulk of garbage taken from the homes since biodegradable waste will be taken to the compost pit.
The city government will purchase a shredding machine to grind biodegradable wastes before they are placed in the compost pit.
The Canduman?s compost pit is about 500 square meters. The barangay is paying a rent of P20,000 per year to the lot owner, using government funds.
The adjoining lot is used to plant tomatoes, okra and other vegetables. Biomen, who take care of the plants, use the fertilizer taken from the compost pit.
Jabas said that with the biomen project, the barangay?s solid waste gradually lessened the garbage dumped at the landfill in Barangay Umapad.
Cortes said he was considering the option to use high-tech plasma technology in disposing of tons of garbage at the city?s landfill.
Starting operations using the technology will cost at least $500 million or at least P20.5 billion.
