The city government of Iloilo is ready to tackle the 300 tons of waste it expects to collect during the weeklong celebration of the 2026 Dinagyang Festival, up from around 260 tons collected last year.

In a media interview on Tuesday, General Services Office head Neil Ravena said they already conducted a series of meetings in preparation for the Dinagyang.

“Actually, the opening salvo was our simulation exercise so that we could adjust or we could add. Based on our meeting yesterday, the La Paz district team was overwhelmed, considering that it rained on Saturday,” he said.

During the two-day opening salvo on Jan. 10 and 11, the city government collected around two truckloads of waste.

“During the weeklong celebration starting Jan. 18, the GSO will deploy 327 street sweepers, one sweeper truck, 80 portalets, and maintenance personnel in food festival and judging areas, Sunburst Park and Freedom Grandstand,” Ravena said.

There will be water tankers tasked with the flushing at Valeria-Delgado, Ledesma Street and Freedom Grandstand.

“We inspected the comfort rooms of the Sports Complex to ensure that they are functional. We are fortunate that their comfort rooms are newly renovated,” he said.

A dedicated 20-cubic truck will be detailed at the Iloilo Sports Complex, which is expected to accommodate the largest number of ticketed spectators, reaching around 6,000.

Ravena said they are expecting to gather some five to six tons of waste in the area.

GSO will also deploy over 100 waste bins, especially along the parade route.

It will also operate the material recovery facility, and all single-use plastic that will be recovered will be brought to the facility.

Around 80 percent of waste usually collected in the city is single-use plastic.

“I wanted to document the journey of the plastic waste during the Dinagyang for our circular economy,” he said. (PNA)