A MONTH after the deadly trash slide at the Binaliw landfill forced its closure on Jan. 8, 2026, Cebu City remains locked in a fragile balancing act, scrambling to dispose of hundreds of tons of garbage daily while attempting to fix long-standing problems in waste segregation, disposal planning and regulatory oversight.
The Jan. 8 trash slide at the Binaliw landfill claimed 36 lives and injured several others, underscoring the urgent need for stronger waste management systems and regulatory enforcement.
The closure of Binaliw, the city’s primary landfill, immediately disrupted Cebu City’s waste disposal system. The local government was forced to rely on temporary arrangements with private facilities outside the city, particularly the Asian Energy landfill in Barangay Polog, Consolacion, after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) ordered the landfill’s closure through a cease and desist directive.
Garbage hauling slowed during this period, with backlogs forming due to limited dumping hours and traffic congestion along hauling routes.
Consolacion Mayor Teresa “Nene” Alegado later imposed firm limits on the volume of garbage her town would accept from neighboring cities, citing capacity constraints and environmental concerns.
Under the arrangement, Consolacion will accept a maximum of 300 tons of garbage per day from Cebu City, Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City combined.
Of this volume, Cebu City has been allocated only 100 to 150 tons daily — far below its historical average waste output.
Cebu City alone generates hundreds of tons of garbage each day, raising immediate questions about where the remaining waste would go once the Consolacion cap is enforced.
Mayor Nestor Archival said the City respects Consolacion’s decision and is now looking for alternative ways to manage excess waste.
In the interim, the City has intensified waste segregation and shredding efforts at the barangay level to reduce the volume of garbage sent to landfills.
Emergency contract under scrutiny
To formalize the temporary dumping arrangement, the Cebu City Government entered into an emergency memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Asian Energy Systems Corp. following the Binaliw trash slide.
The MOA authorizes the City to dispose of up to 50,691.66 tons of garbage between Feb. 1 and March 31, 2026, with the contract price capped at around P60 million.
The agreement allows the City to stop or reduce deliveries at any time, with billing based solely on actual tonnage delivered.
However, during a special session of the Cebu City Council, several members raised concerns that the approved tonnage did not align with the city’s actual garbage output.
City Councilor Joel Garganera pointed out that dividing the approved tonnage across the contract period translates to an average of more than 800 tons per day, almost double the city’s documented daily waste volume.
Records presented by the Department of Public Services (DPS) showed that Cebu City generated a total of 12,968.44 tons of garbage in January 2026, or an average of about 480 tons per day.
DPS head Paul Gelasque explained that the higher tonnage ceiling was based not on January’s recorded figures, but on the city’s usual garbage generation of around 600 to 650 tons daily, noting that January’s lower numbers were abnormal due to hauling delays.
Gelasque added that garbage disposal at the Asian Energy landfill is limited to daytime hours — from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. — unlike previous arrangements where dumping was done around the clock.
Traffic congestion and facility limitations have slowed truck turnaround times, resulting in backlogs and reduced daily hauling.
Garganera acknowledged the explanation, noting that if the city’s usual daily output is pegged at 600 to 650 tons, the approved ceiling could still be accommodated, but emphasized the need for strict safeguards, especially weighbridge monitoring, to prevent overbilling.
Other council members warned that approving volumes far above historical averages exposes the City to financial and accountability risks, particularly under emergency procurement conditions.
The missing DENR direction
As the City scrambles to manage daily waste, frustration has grown over the lack of clear guidance from the DENR, which ordered the closure of the Binaliw landfill.
Archival said the DENR investigation team has already met with city officials, including personnel from DPS, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office and the City Planning Office.
However, he said the agency has yet to provide a target timeline or concrete findings.
According to Archival, the only directive from DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla was to complete the investigation “as fast as possible,” without specifying a deadline.
City Councilor Dave Tumulak, chair of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, criticized the absence of formal investigation results and clear recommendations.
“There was no clear feedback, from Prime Waste and from DENR. No investigation results, no concrete recommendations,” Tumulak said.
He described DENR’s presentation during an executive session as “too light,” adding that it failed to give the City a clear direction for long-term waste disposal.
Based on DENR’s presentation, Tumulak said there remains a possibility that the Binaliw landfill could operate again, further prolonging uncertainty.
Archival clarified that any decision to reopen Binaliw rests solely with DENR, not the City Government.
In the absence of long-term solutions, Cebu City has turned to intensified waste segregation, composting and shredding at the barangay level to reduce landfill dependence.
The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) has discussed strengthening segregation practices and expanding composting and shredding in barangays.
According to Garganera, shredders are planned to be placed in most, if not all, barangays.
Biodegradable waste is expected to be composted locally, while only non-biodegradable and residual waste will be hauled to disposal facilities.
The SWMB has also welcomed private sector initiatives offering practical and sustainable long-term solutions to the City’s waste challenges.
However, the City still lacks a designated transfer station, an interim site where garbage can be temporarily stored before being transported to disposal facilities outside Cebu City.
Garganera strongly opposed using the Binaliw dumpsite as a transfer station, citing safety and accessibility concerns.
Instead, the board plans to work with private service providers to identify a transfer station within the city, around 1,500 square meters in size, modeled after Marikina City’s system.
Guadalupe barangay struggles
Barangay Guadalupe, the largest barangay in Cebu City, has experienced a garbage crisis following the Binaliw closure.
Barangay Captain Apol Ross Enriquez admitted that the community has yet to fully implement waste segregation.
“Next week, we will strictly implement segregation and follow the guidelines provided in the city’s flyers,” Enriquez said.
She added that their eight garbage trucks previously made two trips daily to collect waste from residents, but due to the volume of garbage, the trucks now make only one trip.
Occasionally, trucks must return from Consolacion because other barangays’ waste has lined up, preventing immediate dumping.
Without shredding machines, Guadalupe has no choice but to send much of its garbage to the landfill.
The barangay plans to purchase three shredding machines using local funds rather than wait for allocations from the City. It also intends to add two additional garbage trucks to improve collection efficiency.
Enriquez appealed to residents to properly segregate their garbage and refrain from indiscriminate dumping, urging patience while waiting for garbage trucks to collect their waste.
With barangay elections approaching in November, Tumulak warned that strict enforcement of waste segregation has become politically sensitive.
He noted that barangay captains may hesitate to impose tougher measures for fear of backlash from residents during elections.
“This needs strong political will,” Tumulak said.
He stressed that if the mayor orders strict enforcement of segregation, there must be a clear implementing arm on the ground.
“If the mayor says strictly implement waste segregation in every barangay, who will be the foot soldier?” he asked.
Tumulak added that while shredding and segregation can help reduce waste volume, they are not enough on their own.
Perhaps the biggest unanswered question remains what happens after March, when Cebu City’s emergency dumping arrangement with Asian Energy is set to expire.
“As of now, what was given to us by Asian is only until March. After that, what’s next?” Tumulak said.
He recalled that when the Prime Waste landfill was previously closed, garbage piled up on city streets within just four days, a scenario he warned could repeat if no long-term plan is in place.
For now, Cebu City continues to rely on temporary measures, emergency contracts, and barangay-level interventions, while waiting for DENR to provide clear findings, recommendations, and a definitive direction following the Binaliw trash slide.
A month after the disaster, the city’s waste crisis remains unresolved, with short-term fixes in place but long-term answers still elusive. / CAV