Baguio: The management of an engineered sanitary landfill in Porac, Pampanga has agreed to accept garbage from Baguio following the closure of the facility in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, which led to the stoppage of waste collection. Margie Della, assistant head of the city government's General Services Office (GSO), announced in a press conference late Wednesday afternoon that they were able to finalize the contract with Primewaste Solution Engineered Sanitary Landfill (PSESL) on Tuesday, allowing the resumption of garbage collection in the 128 barangays of Baguio City.

According to Philippines News Agency, Della mentioned that garbage collection would resume on Thursday, with those whose garbage was not collected from Monday to Wednesday having their collection schedules resume next week. She noted that the Porac facility is about 200 kilometers away from Baguio, significantly farther than Urdaneta, Pangasinan, which will double the transport cost from PHP800 to PHP1,600 per ton. However, they managed to negotiate a lower tipping fee of PHP550 per ton compared to the PHP650 per ton in Pangasinan.

Della explained that despite the increased distance and costs, there was no other alternative for disposing of the city's residual wastes. The city spends an average of PHP200 million annually on the hauling and tipping fee of some 200 to 250 tons of garbage daily.

Meanwhile, Della highlighted the city's ongoing development of a central materials recovery facility (MRF) at the higher portion of the existing transfer station along Marcos Highway. She stated that by 2028, they expect to complete the site development of the three-hectare facility, which will serve as a long-term solution to the city's garbage problem. The central MRF will engage in activities such as processing paper for use as feedstock.

Della emphasized the importance of proper waste segregation, stating that it has been a long-standing issue. Proper segregation will help reduce waste management costs and improve health conditions by preventing the breeding of flies and rodents. Currently, the segregation compliance rate is below 50 percent, and the city has yet to achieve effective segregation at the source. Della suggested that once segregation is perfected, there will be less garbage to transport to the landfill.