The city government is mulling charging garbage fees based on weight to encourage waste segregation.
City Information Office chief Aileen Refuerzo said the city government and the barangays are discussing how to implement the plan, specifically the weighing of garbage brought out by residents on collection day.
Based on a survey, many residents wanted to help the city government improve its garbage collection and disposal. The survey showed that residents are willing to get charged with a fee of about PHP10 per 10 kilos of garbage and an additional PHP5 for every kilo above 10 kilos.
Refuerzo said other respondents were also willing to do community service instead of paying the fees.
“The scheme just has to be discussed with barangay officials on who will weigh and collect the garbage in their respective areas since a percentage of the collected fees will go to the barangays,” she said, adding that the scheme would teach residents to segregate and even recycle their garbage.
“When people realize that they are paying more for their garbage, they start learning to segregate,” she added.
The city has been spending millions of pesos to haul out the city’s garbage and pay tipping fees to a private engineered landfill in Tarlac, since the city lacks an area to dispose of its waste.
Source: Philippines News Agency
