Cebu City and San Miguel Brewery Inc. signed the Balik-Bote Collaboration Commitment on July 24, 2026, launching a glass bottle recycling program piloted across 11 barangays to reduce landfill waste.
Residents can return clean, unbroken San Miguel bottles for cash refunds, or exchange all other types of glass bottles for rice or selected products through San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp.
The initiative follows the closure of the Binaliw landfill after a Jan. 8 trash slide killed 36 people, forcing the city to pay significantly higher costs to transport garbage elsewhere.
AS CEBU City continues to push waste reduction efforts amid its ongoing garbage disposal challenges, the city government has partnered with San Miguel Brewery Inc. to launch a glass bottle recovery and recycling program aimed at diverting recyclable waste from landfills.
The partnership was formalized on Friday, July 24, 2026, through the signing of the Balik-Bote Collaboration Commitment between the Cebu City Government, through the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Ccenro), and San Miguel Brewery Inc.
Mayor Nestor Archival said the initiative forms part of the city’s broader strategy to strengthen waste segregation and recycling at the community level while reducing the volume of garbage hauled to disposal sites.
Under the program, residents will be encouraged to return empty glass bottles for recycling and reuse instead of throwing them away.
The program will initially be piloted in 11 barangays: Apas, Basak San Nicolas, Luz, Carreta, Kasambagan, Mabolo, Tinago, San Jose, Inayawan, Tejero and Kalunasan.
During an orientation, San Miguel Brewery officials explained that clean and unbroken San Miguel glass bottles may be returned for cash refunds.
Meanwhile, San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corp. will accept all types of glass bottles, including those from other brands, through a waste exchange program. Instead of cash, participants may exchange their recyclable bottles for rice or selected San Miguel products.
The initiative is expected to encourage more residents to participate in recycling while helping reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills.
The city has been intensifying its waste diversion programs following the closure of the Binaliw landfill after the Jan. 8 trash slide that claimed 36 lives, forcing Cebu City to transport its garbage to landfills outside the city at a significantly higher cost.
Present during the signing were Councilors Harry Eran and Joel Garganera, Ccenro head Editha Peros, and representatives from San Miguel Brewery Inc.
Archival said the partnership is part of the city’s long-term goal of promoting responsible waste management and building a culture of recycling among Cebuanos as it works toward a cleaner and more sustainable Cebu City.
The partnership complements other waste reduction measures recently introduced by the city government.
During a meeting with Cebu City’s 80 barangay captains on Tuesday, July 21, Archival pushed for stricter waste segregation and announced the “Basura Namo, Kaugmaon Nato” program, a school-based initiative that encourages students and households to collect recyclable materials, including plastics, for recycling.
Archival said these programs aim to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills and lower the city’s garbage hauling and disposal costs.
Beginning July 26, the city will also stop using the South Road Properties as a temporary transfer station after the Environmental Management Bureau EMB 7 ordered it to cease garbage transfer operations at the site. / CAV