A private firm will build a state-of-the-art garbage management facility to address this city’s solid waste disposal problem in the absence of a mandated sanitary landfill.

Unlike a sanitary landfill, which requires a large land area, the sorting facility will need only a few hectares. The company is initially considering locations in Sibulan or Bacong, towns adjacent to Dumaguete.

Cliffordson Lariosa, chief executive officer of Perpetual Help Community Capital, Inc., said the facility will be patterned after a technology from China that recycles waste materials.

“We have seen that solid waste disposal is a big problem for the local government,” Lariosa told the Philippine News Agency on Monday.

Currently, the city operates a materials recovery facility in an outskirts village but has not secured a sanitary landfill since its open pit dumpsite was ordered closed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources years ago.

Lariosa said a feasibility study is underway and the firm has already identified the needed equipment following visits to China to observe waste management practices.

A board meeting is set this week to discuss project details and determine the timeline.

Lariosa said the facility will generate income from recycled materials while fulfilling the company’s commitment to environmental protection. (PNA)