THE Mandaue City Council has passed a resolution inviting Prime Waste Solutions, operator of the city’s landfill, to appear before the council next week to provide updates on its operations, particularly its capacity and long-term sustainability.
Councilor Carlo Fortuna said the invitation aims to clarify how long the landfill can continue to serve the waste disposal needs of Mandaue City and Metro Cebu, amid growing concerns that the facility may be nearing its limit.
“We want them to give us an update on the status of their operations and, at the very least, give us a clear idea of how long the landfill can continue serving the city and Metro Cebu,” Fortuna said.
Fortuna recalled that the memorandum of agreement between the City of Mandaue and Prime Waste Solutions was approved in 2019, during his term as vice mayor and acting mayor.
At the time, he said the understanding was that the landfill would remain relatively flat.
“Our understanding then was that the landfill was flat. Now, it has become like a mountain,” Fortuna said, noting that the volume of waste being disposed of at the site appears unusually high.
He added that he personally visited the landfill with barangay captains in the past and was surprised by its current condition.
“I did not expect it to look like a mountain, almost like a Smokey Mountain. I thought it would just be soil, then waste, then soil again,” he said.
According to Fortuna, it is clear that the landfill will eventually reach its peak capacity, but the city does not yet know when this will happen.
This uncertainty, he said, makes it difficult for the local government to prepare alternative waste disposal solutions.
“There is a serious question now on whether the landfill is still sustainable and how long it can continue accepting waste from Mandaue City,” Fortuna said.
He also expressed concern that the facility may be receiving more waste than originally projected, which could shorten its operational lifespan.
“If they are receiving more than what was expected, then the timetable will definitely be shortened,” he said.
In anticipation of possible closure or limitations of the landfill, Fortuna said the City should already be preparing alternatives. These include revisiting proposals such as waste-to-energy solutions to better manage the city’s waste.
At the same time, the Council approved another resolution requesting the City Planning and Development Office and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office to submit existing plans that could help augment or improve the waste management system at the Barangay Binaliw landfill in Cebu City.
The Council hopes these measures will help the city proactively address potential waste management challenges in the future. (ABC)