THE Cebu City Government formally requested assistance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, to negotiate a temporary dumping arrangement after a landfill collapse in the mountain barangay of Binaliw halted operations.
The disaster has forced authorities to scramble for a location to dispose of 500 to 600 tons of daily waste while emergency crews race to find more than 30 individuals missing in the debris.
IMMEDIATE CRISIS. The crisis began past 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8, when the Binaliw Landfill collapse forced an immediate suspension of dumping operations. The stoppage created a logistical bottleneck; garbage trucks, unable to unload their cargo, were left full and stranded.
City Councilor Joel Garganera reported that collection services are effectively paralyzed, prompting him to appeal to residents to keep their trash indoors temporarily.
The impact has quickly spilled beyond the city borders. The Binaliw facility serves not just Cebu City, but also Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City. Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano confirmed that his city suspended collection on Friday and is now coordinating with Gov. Pamela Baricuatro to find a unified solution for the affected local government units (LGUs).
SEARCH FOR A SITE. Mayor Nestor Archival is proposing a stop-gap measure: a 15-day agreement with other landfill operators to accept the city’s waste. While facilities in Consolacion and Minglanilla have been identified as potential receivers, the LGUs hosting those sites have yet to agree to the transfer. Archival said the City is relying on DENR 7 to facilitate the urgent talks and issue the necessary special permits.
Simultaneously, officials are looking inward for solutions. The City is eyeing the establishment of a transfer station, a temporary holding area, at either the Inayawan area or the South Road Properties (SRP). Garganera specifically pointed to the Department of Public Services office at the SRP as a possible site, though he stressed this is currently just a suggestion awaiting administrative approval and environmental clearance.
HUMAN TOLL. A humanitarian tragedy is unfolding alongside the waste management emergency at the site. Three people have been confirmed dead, while many others are still trapped in the debris. Search and rescue operations are ongoing 24 hours a day. These critical, life-saving efforts are scheduled to continue until January 11, at which point the mission will shift from rescue to retrieval operations.
“BROKEN SYSTEM.” Environmental watchdog Greenpeace has drawn a direct parallel between this disaster and the Payatas tragedy, which killed hundreds in Quezon City 25 years ago. Campaigner Marian Ledesma criticized the event as a symptom of a “broken waste management system” and a failure to enforce the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
While the Binaliw Landfill operator Prime Waste Solutions Cebu assured the city that the facility still had a lifespan of three to four years, Greenpeace argues that the continued overproduction of residual waste and single-use plastics makes such facilities inherently unstable. The group contends that without a ban on single-use plastics and strict source segregation, local governments remain vulnerable to these catastrophic collapses.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW YET. Critically, it is unknown where the city’s garbage will go if the Consolacion and Minglanilla LGUs refuse the temporary request. There is also uncertainty regarding the structural stability of the remaining landfill area. Furthermore, the final casualty count remains grimly uncertain as rescue windows narrow.
WHAT’S NEXT. The immediate focus remains on the rescue operations concluding on Jan. 11. Politically, the next few days will be a test of inter-LGU cooperation, as Ouano and Baricuatro attempt to broker a shared solution. For Cebu City, the administration plans to implement stricter waste diversion measures — separating 300 tons of biodegradables daily — to reduce the load on whatever future disposal site is secured. / CAV, ABC