BACOLOD City – By utilizing a digital weighbridge to determine payment for waste collection, the city government has realized savings of around P4 million per month.
The city entered into a contract with IPM Construction and Development Corporation for sanitary services, amounting to P156,399,150, spanning from May 1 to Dec. 31 this year. This contract is based on the approved budget of P184 million.
“Every month, we save an additional P4 million. We also saved P27 million during the bidding process,” said Ma. Fe Tresfuentes, the Department of Public Services officer-in-charge.
Bacolod started using the weighbridge in May.
“Since its implementation, the average number of trips for waste collection has even increased,” Tresfuentes observed, adding, “While we are pleased, the contractor, understandably, isn’t.”
Before the introduction of the weighbridge, there was no accurate method to measure the volume of garbage collected, leading the government to incur higher costs.
“Previously, the payment system was based on the length of garbage collected. Now, we’ve shifted to volume, specifically by determining its weight,” explained Tresfuentes.
Currently, the city government pays P1,275 per ton, with the daily average volume of garbage collected amounting to 370 tons./PN
