Originally established in the 1970s,[1] the former open dumpsite was home to scavengers who migrated to the area after the closure of the Smokey Mountain landfill in Tondo, Manila.[2] After the Payatas landslide happened in 2000,[3] the newly passed Ecological Solid Waste Management Act mandated the closure of open and controlled dumpsites. The dumpsite was reorganized into a controlled disposal facility in 2004 and was permanently closed in 2017.[4]
The former dumpsite is currently being redeveloped into an urban park for cycling activities.[5]
The dumpsite was established in the 1970s,[1] as an open dumpsite in Lupang Pangako in Payatas, Quezon City.[3] Prior to this, the area used to be a ravine surrounded by farming villages and rice paddies.[2]
People residing in the Smokey Mountain landfill in Tondo, Manila who worked as scavengers migrated to the Payatas dumpsite after the former's closure in 1995. Payatas then developed a reputation as the "second Smokey Mountain", "21st century Smokey Mountain", "Smokey Mountain Two", "New Smokey Mountain", "Smokey Valley", or the "modern-day Smokey Mountain".[2] On July 10, 2000, the Payatas landslide caused the deaths of 232 people residing within the landfill,[3] which prompted the passage of Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000,[4] which mandated the closure of open dumpsites by 2001 and controlled dumpsites by 2006.[6] The dumping ground was immediately closed following the incident by then-President Joseph Estrada, but was reopened weeks later by then-Quezon City Mayor Mel Mathay to avert an epidemic in the city due to uncollected garbage caused by the closure.[3]
In 2004, the landfill was reorganized as a controlled disposal facility[4] and was closed in December 2010.[9]
The Payatas dumpsite in 2017, at the time of its permanent closure.
A separate landfill with a stricter waste management policy was established nearby the old open dumpsite[1] in January 2011.[9] Garbage in the dumpsite was dumped on a layer of tarpaulin to prevent seepage of leachate to the groundwater.[4] This dumpsite was permanently closed in December 2017 following an order issued by the DENR Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) on August 2, 2017, so that it could review the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) of IPM Environmental Services, the operator of the dumpsite.[6]
In January 2020, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court ordered the government of Quezon City to pay more than 6 million pesos to the relatives of the 2000 Payatas landslide victims.[10]
In March 2023, the former dumpsite was redeveloped into an urban park for cycling activities.[5]
^ abcdSison, Bebor Jr.; Felipe, Cecilia Suerte (10 July 2001). "Payatas tragedy: One year after". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
