BAGUIO CITY – The City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) warned erring business establishment owners wilfully disposing their used oil in the city’s sewer and drainage systems that the local government will file the charges against them for violation of the Sanitation Code of the Philippines and other related local laws once they are found disposing their used oil in the city’s sewer and drainage systems that result to clogging and foul odor.
The City Environment and Parks Management Officer Cordelia C. Lacsamana admitted that many food establishments in the central business district wilfully dump their used oil onto the city’s sewer and drainage systems further clogging the said systems as the used oil harden and block the smooth flow of water producing foul odor.
“Our personnel face further difficulty declogging our sewer and drainage systems because of the hardened oils disposed of by food establishments. We discovered floor mops stocked inside the sewer systems showing that some food establishments tried to declog the hardened grease but did not know how to do it,” Lacsamana stressed.
Under existing laws, rules and regulations, machine shop owners are required to pre-treat their used machine oil while food establishments are required to install grease traps to prevent used oil from freely flowing into the city’s sewer and drainage systems before the local government will collect the said oil that will be treated as biodegradable waste.
Lacsamana recommended that the city’s manholes must be installed with padlocks to prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the city’s sewer and drainage system.
According to her, it is also imperative for the City Council to pass the proper ordinance imposing stiffer penalties against erring establishment owners who wilfully dispose their used oil in the city’s sewer and drainage systems.
She added CEPMO personnel conduct the required periodic inspection of food establishments on their compliance to install grease traps in their drain systems but erring food establishment owners often remove the said grease traps, especially at night, when government personnel are not inspecting the said establishments.
The city official urged food establishment owners to cooperate with the local government in adhering to the anti-dumping policy of used oil in the city’s drainage and sewer systems to prevent future clogging./By Dexter A. See
