DAVAO City Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo encouraged Dabawenyos to segregate their waste as the city prepares to use the new sanitary landfill.
Ocampo, chairperson of the committee on environment, said that the mass-wasting incident that occurred at the Davao Sanitary Landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District, on May 20 was an “eye-opener” for everybody and that the public should start segregating their waste.
“I think it’s high time. Panawagan sa DENR karon na mag-segragte gyud pud ta, katong mga mabulok na ilubong nalang nato kung kaya himuon (I think it’s high time to call on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources now for us to really segregate our waste. Those that are biodegradable should just be buried if possible),” he said during the Pulong-Pulong sa Dabawenyos on May 26, 2026, at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
Ocampo said he has always been campaigning for waste segregation, citing how the public could start segregating biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and recyclable waste.
Under Republic Act 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, it states that there should be a comprehensive, sustainable solid waste management in the country and that it seeks to protect public health and the environment through promoting waste segregation, recycling, composting, and proper disposal. Violators of the law would be fined with P1,000 to P3,000 or imprisonment for one to 15 days.
On the local level, the city has City Ordinance No. 0361-10, also known as the Davao City Ecological Solid Waste Management Ordinance of 2009, which mandates strict segregation at the source, regulates disposal, and strictly prohibits littering and open burning. Those who violate the ordinance would be penalized with P2,000 to P5,000 or an imprisonment of one to 15 days.
Despite the existing legislation for imposing segregation, the waste that reaches the landfill is mostly food waste, which is about 40 percent, fruit and vegetable residue with 23.79 percent, and food and kitchen waste with 18.48 percent.
No suspension of waste collection
Ocampo also belied the social media reports circulating online regarding the suspension of waste collection in the city.
The social media posts claimed that the city is temporarily suspending its garbage collection for five to 10 days and that citation tickets would be issued to those who throw garbage improperly. He said that the city cannot cease its operations since the amount of waste generated would be substantial.
He then assured Dabawenyos that waste collection continues and that the local government has coordinated with the barangays and other concerned agencies.
The concern regarding the suspension of waste collection stemmed from multiple uncollected waste piles in the city during the regular scheduled waste collection.
Large amounts of waste were left outside and exposed to natural elements, like sun and rain, producing leachate and foul odors as a result.
However, Ocampo said that the public should let the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) do its job and asked for public understanding regarding the delay, as this came after the incident that claimed two lives, with one person still missing.
A mass-wasting incident occurred around 1:10 p.m. on May 20 at the Davao Sanitary Landfill in Barangay New Carmen. Rescue teams were deployed to search for those who had been buried alive by the trash slide.
Operation of new dumpsite
With the current landfill still out of service, Davao City shifts to a new landfill site after the mass-wasting incident suspended operations at the New Carmen facility.
The city acquired nine hectares adjacent to the current site; however, only 6.5 hectares will be used in order to meet the sanitary landfill development standards of the DENR.
The new site costs about P500 million, with Phase One of the project costing P340 million, while Phase Two is expected to cost around P200 million, bringing the total investment to over P500 million.
Ocampo said the site has already been excavated and that they are in the process of installing the lining. He added that the city is fast-tracking its construction so that it can be used immediately.
Ocampo also revealed that the city has already complied with the requirements set by the DENR in order to operate the new dumpsite.
Earlier, the city filed a motion for reconsideration on May 26 with DENR-Davao, citing the results of geotechnical assessments conducted in the area and the recommended corrective measures for the landfill.
Ocampo said that they allocated funding of P34 million under Supplemental Budget No. 1 in order for the city to comply with the needed requirements for the current sanitary landfill. He said that this was in line with the measures that the local government would undertake to comply with the standards set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
Technologies to help with waste reduction
Although the city has a new sanitary landfill adjacent to the current one, it still has to explore technologies that would reduce its reliance on sanitary landfills.
Ocampo said that some companies have even expressed interest in conducting a feasibility study on the current sanitary landfill, which would help prevent incidents such as trash slides. He also mentioned that the city already obtained a legal opinion on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Malaysian-Singaporean firm whose expertise lies in promoting waste-to-resource technologies, wherein all forms of garbage would be utilized.
With the mass-wasting incident, the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) project has been floated as one of the solutions to the city’s waste problem. Ocampo said that they always welcome the project, citing how it could greatly help address the city’s waste problem. He added that they are waiting for the feasibility study from the Japanese government.
He said that the local government is open to other players who want to engage with the city through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements or any type of partnership that would benefit the city.
Ocampo said they are reviewing the proposals submitted to the city in order to look into long-term solutions to the city’s waste problem.
On the proposal to have three sanitary landfills, one for each district, Ocampo said that this would be difficult, considering that multiple areas in the city are protected areas and sources of water, which could heavily affect the city’s natural resources.
On average, the Brgy. New Carmen landfill receives about 786 tons of waste per day and is already nearing full capacity.
The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) reported that as of May 2025, the office had an average daily collection of 737 tons. In 2024, the average collection was 753 tons; in 2023, 746 tons; and 782 tons in 2022.
Apart from new technologies in solving the waste problem in the city, the materials recovery facility (MRF) is one of the solutions that the city is looking into.
Despite the MRFs being a requirement under RA 9003 and the City Ordinance No. 0361-10, only 53 out of the 182 barangays in the city have MRFs while 116 have a materials recovery system (MRS). These facilities were meant to receive, sort, process, and store biodegradable and recyclable materials as well as segregate plastics that would be dumped at the sanitary landfill.
However, Ocampo said that although it is mandated by law for barangays to have their own MRF, some barangays do not have the space intended for it, especially for those who are in the downtown area. He added that some barangays even buy dump trucks and help in the collection and segregation of waste, while others look for other measures in improving waste management.
“Dili gyud na siya ma-comply sa tanan barangay ang MRF pero dapat naa gyud, pero ang problema lang man gyud kay wala silay lugar (Not all barangays can really comply with having an MRF, although they are really supposed to have one. The problem is that they just do not have enough space),” he said.
Relocation
Following the trash slide incident, Ocampo said that constructing houses near the sanitary landfill has always been prohibited. He said that based on the initial investigation, those who built houses in the area were not originally from Davao City.
He said that those affected had already been evacuated and that the local government is looking for relocation sites based on the requirements and whether they qualify for free housing.
“Katong mga dili taga diha dapat mu-vacate gyud sila, so we will only extend assistance to residents of Davao nga naa dinhang dapita nga pahawaon na gyud sila ug pangitaan og safe kapuy-an (Those who are not from there should really vacate the area, so we will only extend assistance to Davao residents who are living in that place and need to be relocated and provided with a safe place to stay),” he said.
According to data furnished by authorities, 123 homeowners, six sharers, 374 dependents, one renter, and one boarder were evacuated to the gymnasium beside the Barangay Hall in Purok 3, New Carmen. RGP
