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Village officials in Mandaue City have warned residents not to throw their garbage into the rivers or face stiff penalties.
Corregidor Cosedo, barangay captain of Cabancalan, said he has received reports that some residents did not want to segregate their wastes following the closure of the dumpsite in barangay Umapad, Mandaue City.
These residents instead dump their garbage into the rivers.
Cosedo said tanods have been deployed along rivers, especially the Butuanon River, to catch erring residents.
Residents caught throwing their garbage in the river will be charged for violating City Ordinance on Waste Segregation. Violators face a fine ranging from P1,000 to P5,000 or imprisonment of one month to six months depending on the discretion of the court.
They can also be charged for violating the Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which carries harsher penalties.
Mayor Jonas Cortes closed down the Umapad dumpsite on June 5. The barangays are instead tasked to segregate waste at their own level through Materials Recovery Facilities. Residents are required to segregate their wastes before these would be picked up by dump trucks and brought to the MRF of each barangay.
Only residual waste may be thrown into the dumpsite, where these will be placed in a compost pit.
Cosedo said that as early as 4 a.m., barangay tanods were closely monitoring settlements along the Butuanon River to catch residents reported to have been throwing trash there.
Cosedo said the garbage collectors had been instructed not to collect trash that was unsegregated.
?We have been giving letters to the households that they should have their own compost pits at home because the collectors will not accept biodegradable trash,? he said.
Household compost pits will be the temporary setup while the barangay awaits the completion of their MRF. Once completed, the garbage collectors will be able to accept biodegradable trash from households to be brought to the MRF.
Cosedo said they were waiting for the relocation of four families occupying the barangay-owned lot where the MRF would be constructed. He said the barangay has a budget of about P300,000 for the construction of the MRF.
