CEBU provincial leaders are exploring a shift from traditional waste disposal to high-tech incineration following a series of landfill crises and a fact-finding mission to China. The move could reshape how one of the Philippines’ most populous provinces manages environmental safety, public health and power demand.
In mid-February 2026, the Provincial Board (PB) began formalizing a path toward waste-to-energy (WTE) technology.
Second District PB Member Stanley Caminero proposed creating a provincial task force to study the feasibility of WTE projects and a technical advisory council focused on the circular economy.
The proposal follows a study tour of Fujian province and Guangzhou in China, where Cebuano officials inspected integrated facilities that combust municipal waste to produce steam for electricity. The legislative push follows what officials described as failures in current disposal methods, most notably the Jan. 8, 2026, collapse at the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City. The collapse triggered a landslide that killed 36 people, leaving the landfill closed and the city’s waste management system in a state of emergency.
He said the approach would generate renewable energy for the power grid, significantly reduce landfill use and convert waste residues into construction materials.
He said Cebu faces “three intersecting pressures”: increasing waste volume, rising energy demand and escalating health care needs linked to unsanitary environments, which he said require “system thinking, not fragmented solutions.”
Why the WTE study matters
The shift toward WTE signals an admission that the traditional landfill model is no longer sustainable for an island province with limited land and a growing population. For residents and local industries, the success or failure of this initiative carries three primary implications:
Public health and safety. As seen in the Binaliw tragedy, overcapacity landfills pose immediate physical and environmental risks. Proponents argue that an unsanitary environment directly correlates with higher disease prevalence.
Grid stability. Cebu faces a chronic rise in energy demand. WTE plants act as small-scale power plants, feeding electricity back into the grid as a byproduct of waste disposal.
Economic circularity. Modern WTE systems seek to convert residues, such as fly ash, into construction materials, potentially lowering the cost of infrastructure projects while reducing the need for raw material extraction.
Circular economy
Caminero also proposed establishing a circular economy technical advisory council and allocating seed funding for pilot renewable waste projects.
He described the initiatives as “strategic investments and not expenses,” vowing to translate international lessons into actionable local policy.
A large portion of the Binaliw landfill in Cebu City collapsed on Jan. 8, 2026, triggering a trash slide that buried workers and structures. The incident killed 36 people. The landfill remains closed while authorities determine whether it is safe to operate.
By proposing a provincial-level task force, Cebu is adopting a system-thinking approach — clustering waste volumes from various municipalities to ensure the steady feedstock required to make a WTE facility economically viable.
/ CDF