As Quezon City commemorates Earth Day this year, officials turn the Payatas open garbage dump, where a mountain of trash buried dozens of people nearly two decades ago and once seen as the poster site for what’s wrong with garbage systems in the country, into a template for sound solid waste management.
Trees and greenery jut out from a patch of land that was once smothered with trash at Barangay Payatas.
In time for the World Earth Day celebrations, a group of employees from the Quezon City government, Department of Interior and Local Government and Manila Water Co. planted more than a hundred bignay trees at the once notorious garbage dump.
The activity organized by the QC Environment Protection and Waste Management Department last Friday, 21 April 2017, underscored the dramatic transformation of what was once a symbol of despair into a land of hope.
“You have seen how Payatas has transformed, compared to 10 years ago na isa itong big garbage dump,” EPWMD head Frederika Rentoy said.
“Look at the transformation. We are moving toward low carbon footprint and resilient sanitary land fill. This landfill is a product of series technical and scientific studies. We would like to assure the public that this facility is safe and operated in accordance with existing environmental laws, whether national or local. In fact, ito ay may permit from the Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR).”
“I guess human change can change climate change,” Rentoy added. “What we are doing now is a process of human change because ibinibigay natin ang ating mga sarili maski sa maliit na paraan ma-protektahan natin ang environment (We are dedicating ourselves even in our small way toward protection of the environment).
“Ang pagtatanim ng puno dito ay napakahalaga dahil hindi lamang ito nag-aabsorb ng carbon dioxide, meaning more global-warming carbon will be captured in the trees and not released to the atmosphere, ‘pag madami na pong puno magkakaroon ng cooling effect. In other words, lalo na sa panahon ngayon na sobrang init, ang summer umaabot sa 40 degrees ang heat index. Kailangan natin ng napakadaming puno (Planting trees is important for absorbing carbon dioxide. More trees will help bring about a cooling effect, especially nowadays when the summer heat index reaches 40-degrees. We need more trees).”
Quezon City received the 2015 LGU Eco Champion Award at the 1st Philippine Environment Summit last February 11, 2016.
QC government is the first LGU in Metro Manila to have a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for segregation located inside the city hall compound. The QC MRF was inaugurated last April 24, 2015.
As of 2015, according to the Quezon City Public Affairs Office, there have been more than 226,900 trees transplanted at Payatas. Since that time, there have been 1,846 more trees.
