City turns market waste into compost

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government is ramping up its push for sustainable urban governance, demonstrating that disciplined waste segregation and composting can transform market refuse into a resource that supports farms, gardens, and environmental protection.

What began at the Carbon Market—where biodegradable waste is shredded and processed into compost—is now being positioned by Mayor Nestor Archival as the foundation of a citywide reform that will eventually extend to households and business establishments.

City officials said the initiative marks a potential turning point in Cebu’s long-standing struggle with solid waste management. For decades, public markets and barangays have grappled with mounting refuse, much of which ended up in overburdened landfills and contributed to pollution. Previous segregation efforts were often hampered by limited infrastructure and inconsistent compliance, while composting remained confined to small-scale projects.

Mayor Archival’s program seeks to institutionalize what were once fragmented initiatives by embedding segregation and composting into the city’s daily operations.

Assistant head of the City Agriculture Department (CAD) Arlie Gesta, who oversees the project, said the process begins with strict separation of biodegradable waste from plastics and bottles.

To support the effort, Bacolod City-based inventor and businessman Ramon Uy recently lent garbage shredders, demonstrating that the mayor’s goal of significantly reducing landfill-bound waste is achievable. Mayor Archival has since expressed interest in acquiring similar shredders for Cebu City.

Once shredded, the organic material is transported to the North Reclamation composting site, where it is mixed with other materials and treated with indigenous microorganisms to neutralize odors and speed up decomposition.

“If biodegradable waste is left untreated, it produces methane gas that damages the ozone layer. Composting controls this and turns waste into something useful,” Gesta told The Freeman.

The composting process takes 30 to 45 days, using trenching methods that allow continuous cycles of decomposition and harvesting. The finished compost will be distributed to farmers and urban gardeners, helping reduce dependence on costly chemical fertilizers.

“Instead of buying commercial fertilizer, they can use compost. It’s sustainable and reduces expenses,” Gesta said.

Carbon Market alone generates about 20 to 30 tons of biodegradable waste daily, in addition to 40 to 50 tons of mixed refuse. With a shredder capable of processing up to 20 tons a day, city officials said they are confident they can manage the market’s output while expanding operations to other public markets.

A pilot shredder has also been deployed in Kamputhaw, with upland barangays being considered as partners for additional composting facilities.

Mayor Archival emphasized that the program will not stop at public markets. His directive is to extend waste segregation and composting practices to households and commercial establishments, making waste separation a daily discipline rather than a one-off intervention.

Through this approach, the city aims to reduce landfill dependence, cut methane emissions, and create a steady supply of organic fertilizer to support food production in both urban and rural communities.

City officials said the broader vision is to turn segregation into a civic habit. Households will be encouraged to separate biodegradable waste at the source, while establishments will be required to adopt composting-friendly systems.

The program is expected to yield both environmental and economic benefits, lowering fertilizer costs for farmers and gardeners while reducing the city’s environmental footprint.

For Mayor Archival, the initiative is not just about garbage management but about instilling discipline and civic responsibility.

“Segregation and composting must become part of our daily lives. This is how we protect our environment and support our communities,” he said.

Cebu City’s waste-to-compost program thus reflects both continuity and change—continuity in its long battle with solid waste, and change through a disciplined, institutionalized system that closes the loop between consumption and cultivation.