FOLLOWING a deadly landfill collapse, Cebu City faces mounting logistical hurdles and a billion-peso price tag as it scrambles to replace long-distance waste hauling with permanent infrastructure.
Cebu City authorities confront a severe logistical challenge following the sudden loss of primary waste disposal sites. Acting on a self-imposed March 15, 2026, deadline — extended from an initial March 10 target — Mayor Nestor Archival directed the Department of Public Services (DPS) to rush the clearing of a temporary garbage holding area near Pond A at the South Road Properties (SRP). The City initiated this swift cleanup after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources flagged the local government for storing refuse near a wildlife habitat. Beyond regulatory compliance, the crackdown aims to restore the coastal property as a prime seaside hub for dining and tourism.
Why it matters
The current City emergency stems from a tragedy and a subsequent chain reaction of facility closures. On Jan. 8, a trash slide at the Binaliw Sanitary Landfill killed 36 people, forcing the immediate shutdown of the operation. The crisis deepened when a secondary facility in the northern town of Consolacion abruptly stopped accepting Cebu City’s garbage.
Consequently, Cebu City must haul its waste 60 kilometers away to a landfill in the town of Aloguinsan. This extended transport route dramatically increases city spending and introduces severe daily logistical hurdles for waste management operations. The financial toll is staggering: officials are now preparing a supplemental budget for rising garbage disposal costs, which could reach P1 billion.
The bigger picture
The daily struggle to process refuse highlights the difficulty of complying with Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, the national law requiring local governments to establish sustainable systems for waste reduction and proper disposal.
While the City Government mandates the removal of the accumulated stockpile at the SRP, a small, controlled transfer area may remain temporarily to stage waste before its long journey to Aloguinsan. Simultaneously, the City is studying potential alternative sites closer to home, including an area in Barangay Inayawan. However, officials must first navigate strict environmental permitting processes before any new site can operate.
To mitigate the sheer volume of garbage sent on the costly trip west, the City is expanding local diversion tactics. Archival recently inspected a materials recovery and shredding facility at the Carbon Public Market, where workers redirect 12 tons of waste daily into local composting efforts. While this initiative promotes environmental sustainability, it addresses only a fraction of the city’s total output.
What to watch
To bypass the limitations of distant landfills and soaring haulage budgets, City Councilor Winston Pepito proposes a modern, high-capacity waste processing system. Following a benchmarking inspection of a government-owned materials recovery facility in Malolos City, Bulacan, Pepito advocates for a local incineration plant utilizing pyrolysis machinery.
A facility scaled for Cebu City requires three times the capacity of the Bulacan model to accommodate 200 tons of local garbage daily. The defining issue for policymakers is the estimated P400 million price tag. The City Council must now study the feasibility of this massive capital investment, weighing the upfront construction costs against the promise of permanently reducing the City’s looming billion-peso disposal expenses.
/ EHP