‘DENR firm in confronting country’s garbage problems’
Undersecretary Jeremias Dolino of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that the DENR is firm in its commitment to confront the problems on garbage in the country.
Dolino who was the keynote speaker of the Solid Waste Management Stakeholder Conference in Iloilo City said that projects and programs on solid waste management are consistently being implemented by the Department, in coordination with the local government units, non-government organizations, international groups, and other government agencies.
He said that the DENR continues to focus on the proper closure and rehabilitation of existing open dumpsites, the establishment of sanitary landfills in municipalities, and the establishment of an ecological solid waste management system.
Dolino also acknowledged the assistance of the German Technical Cooperation or GTZ whose projects are focused on Region 6, 7 and 8 and hoped that the undertaking would be expanded and replicated in the other regions of the country.
He lamented that there are still many people in the country who do not practice the recycling and waste segregation program.
During the conference, a documentary movie produced by GTZ through the German Center for Research, Education and Demonstration was presented and it featured Solid Waste Management best practices, good initiatives and feasible SWM technologies of the LGUs of Bayawan City, Negros Oriental, San Carlos City, Iloilo City and Buenavista of Guimaras.
“The documentary film hopefully will provide insights and inspiration to all our Local Government Units, that Solid Waste Management is what we all must do to help minimize the country’s growing garbage problem, ” Dolino said.*PIA
