THE City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) reported that the first phase of Davao City’s new sanitary landfill in Barangay Carmen is now 55 percent complete.
Engineer Lakandiwa Orcullo, head of Cenro’s Environmental Waste Management Division, said the city acquired nine hectares in Barangay Carmen for the new facility, though only 6.5 hectares will be used to meet the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) guidelines for sanitary landfill development.
“Naa tay bag-o nga gina-develop, ongoing ang iyang development sa sanitary landfill tapad lang mismo sa existing sa barangay Carmen gihapon (The development of the sanitary landfill is ongoing, and it's located right next to the existing one in Barangay Carmen),” Orcullo said during the ISpeak media forum on Thursday morning, June 20, 2025, at the City Mayor’s Office.
Phase One of the project costs P340 million, while Phase Two is expected to cost around P200 million, bringing the total investment to over P500 million. Due to the high cost, Orcullo stressed the importance of reducing waste to extend the landfill’s lifespan.
As of December 2024, Davao City collects around 750 metric tons of solid waste per day—a sharp increase from 400 metric tons in 2010. Orcullo noted that this figure could rise to 800 metric tons.
To address the growing volume of waste, Cenro continues to promote Republic Act No. 9003, also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. The law encourages proper waste disposal, segregation, and the 3Rs — reduce, reuse, recycle — to protect public health and the environment.
Davao City currently operates a central Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for processing recyclable materials and is proposing to build a central composting facility to handle biodegradable waste.
Of the city’s 182 barangays, 53 have their MRFs. For barangays without space, 116 operate Material Recovery Stations (MRS) as alternative waste storage systems. Meanwhile, 47 barangays have composting facilities, and 96 have met the city’s standards for waste management compliance. RGP