CEBU City Councilor Joel Garganera has urged the City Government to take full responsibility for its mounting waste problem, as neighboring towns, including Minglanilla and Talisay, refused to accept the city’s garbage.
Garganera, who chairs the Cebu City Council’s Committee on Environment, said in a Facebook post on Friday, January 23, 2026, that the decision of Minglanilla Mayor Rajiv Enad to reject the city’s waste was understandable.
"I agree with the decision of the Mayor of Minglanilla. They’re already dumping their garbage to other LGUs, so it’s no longer practical to accept ours,” he said.
He emphasized that Cebu City should not rely solely on the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) to negotiate with other local government units.
“This is our problem. We should solve it on our own,” Garganera added.
The call comes amid growing concerns over Cebu City’s waste disposal following the closure of the Binaliw landfill, which previously handled much of the city’s garbage.
With the landfill now closed, the City has been seeking alternative disposal options, including proposals to transfer waste to nearby towns, a plan that has drawn strong opposition.
On Thursday, January 22, during a provincial coordination meeting led by Governor Pamela Baricuatro and attended by DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla, officials from Cebu City, Minglanilla, Talisay, and other municipalities gathered to discuss waste management strategies.
Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said the city could not accommodate garbage from other local government units but offered support in other areas, such as traffic management, if waste transport routes pass through the South.
Enad, for his part, reiterated Minglanilla’s firm stance against accepting Cebu City’s waste, citing environmental and public health risks.
He noted that the town’s landfill has been closed for three years after the private owner failed to meet obligations under a municipal agreement, forcing the town to haul its garbage to a private facility in Naga City.
“Transferring the environmental and social burden of a big city like Cebu to a small town like Minglanilla is unreasonable and fundamentally unjust,” Enad said.
Cebu City continues to face mounting pressure over its waste disposal crisis, highlighting the urgent need for long-term, sustainable solutions.
"We don't have the luxury to choose where to dump our garbage. We are at the mercy on whoever is willing to accept it," Garganera said. (CAV)