City’s waste board sets 85% target of garbage out from landfills

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board, led by Emma Ramas, has set what is said to be an “ambitious” target: to keep 85 percent of the city’s daily garbage out of landfills within just one year.

By enforcing strict segregation, expanding composting, and building recycling hubs, the board aims to transform Cebu’s waste from a costly burden into a resource for sustainability.

During the solid waste management workshop, Ramas stressed the board’s assessment and said that Cebu does not have a waste problem but rather a problem with segregation.

Based on the presentation shared by Ramas to The Freeman, it showed that of the city’s daily garbage, 50 to 60 percent is biodegradable, 20 to 25 percent recyclable, and only 10 to 20 percent residual; yet, it added, most of it still ends up mixed and dumped.

The plan, presented under the banner “From Crisis to Circularity: How Cebu City Can Divert 85% of Its Waste in One Year,” lays out a tiered strategy.

Among these is that households will be required to segregate and compost, incentivized by a sticker system that ties residual disposal to cement, rice, or feed sacks.

Neighborhoods will also share compost pits and waste exchange points.

Barangays, on the other hand, will operate Material Recovery Facilities, produce compost, and enforce compliance through scorecards and penalties.

At the city level, public-private partnerships will establish recycling hubs, develop compost markets, and ensure monitoring and enforcement.

Civil society, for their part, is expected to play an important role.

Non-government organizations will also be tapped to train households in composting, help barangays monitor compliance, and run information campaigns.

For churches, it will model zero-waste initiatives, promote stewardship, and support compost gardens.

Businesses, through the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be required to conduct waste audits, engage accredited haulers, and establish recycling contracts.

Barangays, meanwhile, will enforce the “No Segregation, No Collection” ordinance, track compliance, and recognize best-performing households.

Within the first 100 days, the board expects ordinances to be approved, barangays trained, and the sticker system rolled out.

By six months, half of households are targeted to be composting, MRFs operational, and businesses undergoing compliance audits.

By the twelfth month, Cebu City aims to keep 85 percent of its garbage out of landfills which reflects a significant reduce on hauling and disposal costs.

Over these measures, the board envisions that landfill expenses will drop, flooding risks will ease as waterways are unclogged, thousands of green jobs will be created in recycling and composting, food security will be strengthened through compost use, and Cebu City will finally comply with national solid waste laws.

For Ramas and the Board, Cebu must stop treating waste management as a routine chore and start treating it as a test of discipline, responsibility, and sustainability. (CEBU NEWS)