No enforcement of trash segregation policy yet

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia admits that it is still premature to call for a citywide enforcement of the waste segregation policy, adding that segregation is an ingrained behavior.

This following the call of the Solid Waste Management (SWM) in Cebu City to implement the “no-segregation, no-collection policy."

Garcia said that although he acknowledges the good intentions behind the idea and supports it, its implementation cannot be abruptly enforced. He cited specifically that the city’s waste would remain uncollected and unregulated if the segregation policy were immediately enforced.

Garcia then suggested an alternative: to pilot the scheme at the barangay level with at least five participants.

“And we perfect it there, hangtod mag takod, takod, takod, and then that’s the time we implement a city-wide no-segregation, no-collection policy,” said Garcia.

“But as of now, I think it’s still premature to immediately call for a no-segregation, no-collection policy,” he added.

Garcia further said that he has already received reports that some barangays have practiced this scheme but not perfected it yet. He admitted, however, that such a scheme requires a long-term approach as it is an ingrained behavioral practice.

“It is already a behavioral issue, and I think it’s not gonna be (learned) overnight,” said Garcia.

Garcia likened this situation to Yokohama City, where it took 40 to 50 years to perfect the policy.

He agrees, however, on the establishment of an SWM department to centralize enforcement. He added that it could be a division under the Department of Public Services (DPS), but said that this must be studied first.

“That is something that I am open to,” said Garcia, saying that it is no longer the DPS' responsibility to segregate waste collection.

Among the efforts to address the garbage crisis in the city is the establishment of a P53-million project for five barangay-based Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) that has been recently proposed to the council. The goal is to reduce the waste sent to the landfill and, consequently, decrease related expenses.

This was discussed during an executive session of the council last week with the aim of addressing the lack of MRFs in the city, a concern flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA).

In response, the council is appealing to the Executive Department to provide lots for the project, especially for the pilot facility. The proposed project includes electronic tricycles, rainwater catchment systems, and an operational office. However, the city will need to provide a city-owned lot for these structures.

Maria Emma Ramas, chairwoman of the Cebu City Ecological Solid Waste Management Board, said that they met with Evergreen Labs, a company specializing in MRFs, during the Waste Summit, and determined that this project is suitable for a grant from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

She added that the funds for this project, allocated in 2011, are specifically intended for MRFs in the barangays. Ramas explained that in 2023, 196,000 tons of waste were sent to the landfill, incurring an expense of P588 million.

With this in mind, she added, if the five MRFs are established in the five barangays, 5,000 tons of waste would be diverted from the landfill, resulting in a potential annual savings of at least P15 million. — (FREEMAN)