DENR launches a model of MRF for government offices
As part of the Environment Month celebration, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Region VI launched its Material Recovery Facility (MRF) at the DENR Regional Office Compound on June 5, 2006.
The ribbon cutting was led by Regional Executive Director Julian D. Amador assisted by Johannes Paul, GETZ consultant on Solid Waste Management, Engr. Raul Gallo, head of the solid waste management Program for the City of Iloilo and Jeanntte Sapilan, incharge of the Solid waste Management Program of the DENR.
In a message of Jeannette Sapilan, she said that a Material Recovery Facility should have two components namely the Eco-Shed that will serve as a storage for recyclable and reusable materials that could be sold or recycled and a composting area. The MRF of the DENR has two composting bins for bio-degrable materials, one is the ordinary composting and the other is the vermin-composting. The MRF had been installed since January yet, however, the activities that were done by the ESWM group was more of waste characterization before it was launched formally.
Waste generated at the office was characterized in order to know whether the employees are really segregating their waste and at the same time to know the volume of each kind of waste generated. This will be the baseline data and will be the basis later on in determining whether the waste generated had been reduced.
On the other hand, Engr. Raul Gallo represented the city government of Iloilo who informed the DENR employees that right now the city is generating 300 tons of waste of which only 160 tons are collected. The rest are either re-used, recycled, or some find their way in rivers and canals that clogged up the sewage-causing flood during rainy season. Engr. Gallo appreciated the effort of the DENR saying that this is a big help to the ESWM program of Iloilo City if all government agencies will have their own MRF and will segregate their wastes.
The launching of the MRF is also in consonance with the celebration of the World Environment Day that is celebrated internationally by all nations every June 5. Environment Day's theme "Don't Desert Drylands" which focuses on the conservation of the dryland environment like desserts and arid places.
RED Julian D. Amador said that the relevance of the MRF launching to the theme is very timely because unless we do not do something about our waste, we will be destroying the fertility of our soil and the cleanness of our air and atmosphere. Waste can emit obnoxious gases that will pollute our atmosphere such as causing acid rain resulting to a destructive impact to our rivers and lands. This impact is worse because it will lead to aridity of the lands and later will result to desertification.
The launching program also included a demonstration on marcotting and grafting in relation to the collection of fruit seeds from the employees for propagation at the regional nursery that will be distributed later on to the different DENR beneficiaries.
(rac/RPAO)