CEBU City has launched an eco-station at the South Road Properties (SRP), aiming to reduce 15 tons volume of garbage hauled to landfills and transform waste into valuable resources such as fertilizer, animal feed, and recyclable materials.
The facility was formally inaugurated on June 6, 2026, in celebration of World Environment Day, with Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr., members of the Cebu City Council, non-government organizations, religious groups, barangay officials, and private sector partners attending the event.
The eco-station features a composting facility, plastic shredders, black soldier fly breeding area, chicken egg-laying facility, coconut farm, ionization reactor chamber intended to extract fresh water from seawater, and areas dedicated to bottle-making, glass upcycling, and plastic recycling.
During the launch, Archival said Cebu City’s current waste management system remains financially unsustainable, particularly after the closure of the Binaliw landfill following the January 8 landfill tragedy.
The mayor cited estimates that Cebu City generates as much as 1,200 tons of waste daily, although only around 700 tons are currently being collected and transported for disposal.
The city is hauling approximately 700 tons of garbage daily to Aloguinsan at a total cost of about P3,090 per ton, including hauling, equipment use, and tipping fees.
At that rate, the city is spending more than P4 million per day for waste disposal.
Before the closure of the landfill in barangay Binaliw, the city was paying around P1,100 per ton for landfill disposal.
“We are spending around P1.2 billion to P1.4 billion every year just for garbage disposal. This is not sustainable,” he said.
Because of this, the city is shifting toward waste diversion programs designed to reduce the amount of garbage sent to landfills.
The eco-station currently processes waste collected from Carbon Public Market and participating barangays.
Archival said the facility initially handles around 20 tons of waste daily, with plans to increase capacity as additional equipment becomes available.
He added that the city aims to increase diversion to at least 20 tons daily and eventually up to 30 to 40 tons through additional composting facilities and expanded participation from barangays.
A composting machine can process up to five tons of biodegradable waste per day and convert it into approximately 2 to 2.5 tons of organic fertilizer.
The city also shreds plastics for use as alternative fuel and construction materials.
The shredded plastics are currently being accepted by cement company and are also being incorporated into eco-bricks used in public works projects.
Meanwhile, biodegradable waste is fed to black soldier fly larvae, which are later used as feed for chickens, fish, and other livestock raised within the facility.
The compost generated is distributed free of charge to farmers and urban agriculture programs.
The eco-station initially serves 10 barangays that are located near the facility.
These barangays include Basak San Nicolas, Luz, Carreta, Calamba, Tejero, Mabolo, Tinago, Inayawan, Lorega, and Kalunasan.
Archival said participating barangays currently contribute around two tons of segregated waste daily.
Additional barangays including Pasil, Sambag II, T. Padilla, and Mambaling have also begun participating in the city’s waste diversion efforts.
Archival said the city’s long-term goal is to eventually involve all 51 urban barangays and reduce landfill-bound waste by at least 30 percent before the end of his term in 2028.
Archival also revealed that the temporary garbage transfer station at SRP may be cleared by the end of June or during the first week of July.
The area has been used to stockpile waste following the shutdown of the Prime and has drawn complaints from nearby residents because of foul odors and environmental concerns.
“We are continuously hauling,” Archival said.
He added that the city still lacks a permanent solution for its waste disposal problem but maintained that diversion facilities such as the eco-station can significantly reduce dependence on landfills.
Archival stressed that the success of the program will depend heavily on proper waste segregation at the household and barangay levels.
He said the city intends to combine incentives and penalties to improve compliance with segregation ordinances.
“The carrot is that we give people a way to profit from their waste. The stick is the penalty for those who continue to violate the law,” he said.
The city is also considering incentive programs for garbage collectors and barangays that consistently deliver properly segregated waste to the facility.
Rizza Isabelle Albina, one of the coordinators overseeing the eco-station, said the facility currently processes around 15 tons of waste per day using its existing equipment.
The operation is supported by 38 personnel and remains in what officials described as a trial phase.
According to Albina, the city has been conducting intensive information and education campaigns in participating barangays, including house-to-house visits, waste segregation demonstrations, and surprise collection inspections.
She said barangay environmental officers are deployed alongside collection crews to monitor compliance and assist residents in properly sorting their garbage.
Albina added that the city is actively encouraging more barangays to participate as it expands the program.
“Bag-o pa gyud kaayo ang facility. One month pa ni siya. Pero karon nga gilaunch na ni mayor, open na kini para sa ubang barangay nga gustong moapil,” she said.
For city officials, the eco-station represents more than just a waste processing facility — it is being promoted as a model for turning garbage from a costly liability into a resource that can generate environmental and economic benefits for Cebu City. (CAV)