AFTER months of waiting for a permit to sell byproducts of the Environmental Recycling System (ERS), the Baguio City Government was finally granted permission but only temporarily.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan, in his weekly press conference Wednesday, told local reporters the city was finally granted one-year permit to sell compost fertilizer produced by the P128-million ERS machines.
He said the fertilizers produced by the machines were wet and saturated, which is why Baguio had to request for technical assistance from Pro Tech Machineries Corporation, the city’s waste solution provider, to send technicians to adjust settings of the machines.
This confirms initial reports saying batches of compost fertilizer produced from the machines have not been of good quality and malodorous, which Pro Tech vice president Luis Arquiza Lu initially denied in City Council hearings.
Lu said the produced compost fertilizers were stockpiled in the Irisan facility because of the turtle-paced issuance of Fertilizer and Pesticides Authority (FPA) permit to sell fertilizers.
Even the City Environment and Parks Management Office (Cepmo) claimed it is not using the fertilizer in parks because of its foul smell.
The mayor said once the quality of the products have been assured after technical adjustments, they will be able to utilize the ERS machine’s functions of making its compost fertilizer byproduct an income-generating venture of the city.
Domogan instructed the Cepmo to maximize use of by-products of the ERS machines by using it on parks and gardens it is maintaining.
After adjustments, the mayor also ordered for acquisition of sacks to be used in packing the ERS by-products.
He said once the compost takes another laboratory test, they are sure it will not only be given a temporary permit but a regular permit, assuring the city’s plans of selling the fertilizers in nearby provinces like Benguet.
Domogan also said they have to maximize the use of the ERS machines, as revenues generated from the sale of compost fertilizer will be helpful in making the waste solution system a sustainable venture for the City Government.
As to the hauling of the city’s garbage, the mayor extended the hauling of the city’s wastes from the barangays by Pro Tech Machineries Corporation until January 15.
He said they are still in the process of creating schemes to efficiently collect garbage in Baguio, like acquiring collection trucks with provisions for biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes.
