In accordance with R.A. 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, all local government units (LGUs) are obligated to identify and acquire/allocate/reserve land areas for municipal solid waste disposal facilities. Said environmental law also provides that the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) together with its various Regional Offices all over the country are mandated to extend technical assistance to these LGUs in the evaluation and assessment of the technical and environmental viability as well as the geological suitability of certain land properties identified or proposed by LGUs as potential sites for municipal solid waste disposal facilities.  

The primary objective of a geological and environmental assessment is to identify and evaluate the suitability of the site for use as Sanitary Landfill Facility (SLF). The proposed SLF should conform with the geographic, geologic, hydrologic and environmental parameters mandated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  It also aims to identify the geological hazards that might affect the project site and formulate appropriate mitigation to minimize if not to eliminate the impact of the identified hazards.

Moreover, the geo-environmental assessment is an additional requirement for the issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC) to proposed SLF projects in accordance with the Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 or commonly known as Republic Act (RA) 9003. R.A. 9003 also obliges all local government units and all private sector operators to terminate all operating/existing dumpsites and replace them with sanitary landfill.  

For calendar year 2009, MGB Region IV-A examined seven (7) sites for geological assessment of proposed sanitary landfill sites as a form of assistance to the local government units. Technical assistance rendered to said local government units and concerned agencies include the identification and suitability appraisal of possible solid waste disposal and landfill sites through geological assessment and site characterization.
Proposed sites were assessed in the provinces of Batangas, Cavite and Quezon. Assessment for closure and rehabilitation of existing municipal dumpsites were also conducted in Quezon Province.

The following proposed sanitary landfill sites were evaluated and were found to qualify as appropriate SLF projects. The geologic factors in the area met the criterion for the selection of a suitable landfill site. However, the other remaining major concerns that must be also addressed by the LGUs or SLF operators before the establishment of a sanitary landfill facility would be the contamination of the groundwater and surface water by the leachate and other toxic substances that would later be generated by the accumulated garbage that will be eventually dumped into the sanitary landfill and finally, the social acceptability of the SLF project to its host community.

PROPOSED SLF SITES

1. BARANGAY SANTO NINO, LIPA CITY - The proposed landfill site is about five (5) hectares in size
2. BARANGAY LUMIPA, MUNICIPALITY OF GENERAL EMILIO    AGUINALDO,     CAVITE - The proposed SLF has an aggregate area of 12.5 hectares.
3. BARANGAY VILLA MERCEDES, MUNICIPALITY OF QUEZON - The proposed sanitary landfill in Villa Mercedes, Quezon has a total area of 2.6 hectares and can be considered as agricultural land and is presently idle.
4. Sitio Malibago, Barangay Cambuga, Municipality of Mulanay, Quezon - The proposed sanitary landfill facility has an area of 1.5 hectares. The SLF is beside the barangay road that serves as the access road to the site.  It is surrounded by private lands owned by a certain Mr. Roman Pais.
5. Barangay Ibabang Kalilayan, Unisan, Quezon - The proposed site has a land area of about 2.0 hectares and is owned by the municipality of Unisan.  The proposed sanitary landfill site and the nearby areas can be classified as agricultural land. However, the proposed SLF is idle.

CLOSURE AND REHABILITATION OF EXISTING MUNICIPAL DUMPSITES

1. BARANGAY POBLACION 5, QUEZON, QUEZON - The existing municipal dumpsite is located in Barangay Poblacion 5 and about a kilometer west-southwest of the town proper. It lies along and south of the National Road linking Quezon, Quezon to Alabat, Quezon. The dumpsite is bounded on the north by the National Road; on the east and west by private properties and on the south by mangrove trees along Lamon Bay.
2. Barangay Muligin, Unisan, Quezon - The existing municipal dumpsite is owned by the local government of Unisan. Residential areas can be found near the municipal dumpsite along the National Road to the town of Pitogo, Quezon.