By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

THE Department of Public Works is eyeing a tract of private property in Sinajana as an alternative site for “a material recycling facility” once the Ordot dump stops receiving waste on Sept. 23 this year.
The Sinajana property has also been identified as a source of suitable filling material to cover the infamous dump, which is due for closure on Oct. 23, along with the construction of a new landfill facility.
The closure of the Ordot dump and the construction of a new solid waste municipal landfill are mandated by a federal consent decree which resulted from a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lawsuit filed against Guam government for violation of anti-pollution laws.
“This requires that steps be taken immediately to pick up the pace by making up for lost time and to complete the closure process as scheduled by the consent decree,” Bill 25 states.
DPW and the Guam EPA have selected a property in Dandan, Inarajan as the site of the new municipal landfill, but it was not clear how far along the two agencies have gone with the facility project.
The bill, filed by Vice Speaker Eddie B. Calvo, R-Maite, seeks to authorize a land-swap between the government and the property owner to make the property available as an alternative dump facility for recyclable waste.
The 280,176-square-foot Sinajana property, located across from the Ordot dump, is owned by Pacific Unlimited Inc.
Bill 25 offers to trade a 110,761-square-meter piece of government property in Dededo for the Sinajana lot.
“The bill will allow the land exchange so we can speed up the closure of Ordot. The Department of Public Works has identified this lot as a site for a material recycling facility as we move on to the closure process,” Calvo told Variety.
DPW’s consultant, TG Engineers and Value Management Strategies, has recommended the purchase of the Sinajana property based on its proximity to Ordot. The property was also found to contain 313,563 cubic yards of suitable filling material that can be used to cover the dump.
“This same property has been pointed out by solid waste engineers as an ideal potential site for a material recycling facility,” Bill 25 says.
“It is the intent of the Legislature to assure the prompt compliance of the stipulated implementation of the Ordot dump consent decree while providing a fair, just and equitable solution to secure valuable resources necessary to close the Ordot dump at a considerable cost savings through a land exchange on a value for value basis,” the bill states.
The bill authorizes DPW and the Department of Land Management to spend $8,000 on land appraisals.
Last month, the U.S. EPA gave Guam an ultimatum to close the Ordot landfill “as soon as possible” due to concerns about the increasing level of air pollution caused by persistent fires and the unabated health hazards posed by the dump. Federal officials rebuked DPW for missing deadlines set by the consent decree.