Mayor defends “Pay As You Throw” scheme

CEBU, Philippines — Following mixed reactions to its “Pay As You Throw” system introduced in Liloan, Mayor Aljew Frasco defended the policy, explaining that its primary objective is to change residents’ habits toward garbage and is not solely aimed at collecting fees.

In a news media forum held yesterday, Frasco said the system is not simply about charging residents for garbage but about changing how households manage and dispose of their waste as Liloan’s population and daily garbage volume continue to increase.

He said the municipality hopes residents will eventually see the system as part of its long-term effort to make garbage management more responsible and sustainable.

“Hopefully makasabot pud sila kay para man sad ni sa kaugmaon sa Liloan,” Frasco said.

He added that he does not want the municipality to wait until its waste facilities can no longer cope with the volume of garbage.

Still in IEC phase

The municipality adopted the “Pay As You Throw, Garbage Bag System” under Ordinance 42-2026, requiring households to use designated transparent garbage bags costing P12 each.

However, Frasco clarified that the policy has not yet been fully implemented, with the municipality still conducting Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) activities to address confusion and misinformation surrounding the new system.

He said the initial IEC activities are being conducted among purok officers, while he also plans to personally visit barangays to explain how the system will work.

Frasco said there is still no final date for full implementation.

His earlier mention of October was only an internal target, as setting a specific date too early could create pressure to begin another IEC campaign before residents fully understand the policy.

Garbage Problem

Frasco said garbage accumulation along roads was among the problems he encountered when he assumed office in 2022, prompting the municipality to look for a more sustainable waste-management system.

Planning for the new approach intensified in 2024. In 2025, Frasco, along with municipal department heads and barangay captains, visited Bayawan City in Negros Oriental to study its waste-management practices after he learned of the city’s recognition for cleanliness.

He said the municipality’s waste problem became more concerning following the Binaliw landslide, which affected waste-disposal operations and caused garbage trucks to queue at the Consolacion landfill.

The situation became more difficult during Typhoon Tino when the road through Consolacion became impassable.

The mayor said the municipality sought assistance from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-7) and was advised to redirect its garbage to Bogo City, which he said was too far.

The municipality later asked the DENR to allow it to temporarily use Liloan’s old landfill while waiting for the Binaliw landfill route to reopen.

As of 2026, Liloan is generating around 40 to 41 tons of garbage per day, according to Frasco.

‘Similar’ to old system

Frasco said the new system is not entirely different from the municipality’s current garbage collection arrangement, in which households paid P200 while subdivisions paid P300 and still had to purchase garbage bags.

Under the new system, however, the cost of the designated garbage bag already covers the garbage collection service.

“Pero karon, kausa na, kaning plastic na paliton, apil na ang service sa pagkuha og basura,” he said.

Frasco said the system is also intended to make households more conscious of the amount and type of waste they produce, particularly because only garbage placed in the official bags will be collected.

He said the municipality currently has around 200,000 residents, but garbage collection fees have largely been paid by landowners even as the number of apartments and rental properties in Liloan has increased.

Transparent bags for traceability

The designated bags will be transparent and will carry serial numbers that can be traced to the purchaser.

Frasco said the transparency is necessary because garbage collectors need to quickly identify whether the contents comply with the municipality’s segregation requirements.

“Once pataka kag butang, ma-trace na nato ang wala nag-segregate,” he said.

Residents who violate the rules will initially be warned, with penalties to follow for succeeding violations, according to Frasco.

The P12 price, he said, was set through price matching with grocery bags of the same size. He added that the designated bag is 50 microns thick, making it more durable, and is made from virgin-pulp plastic that he described as biodegradable.

Only Residual Waste

Under the system, residents are expected to leave only residual waste in the designated bags, items that can no longer be reused or recycled, such as tissues, napkins and diapers.

Recyclable materials will not be accepted in the designated garbage bags.

Frasco said the initial focus will be on ensuring that households properly segregate their waste, while the municipality plans to strengthen its recycling initiatives after the system has been running for about one to two months.

He said the municipality is already coordinating with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) on ways to reuse collected plastic bottles and other recyclable materials.

Among the plans is the development of molds that could turn plastic waste into boards that may eventually be used for walls or roofing.

Plastic bottles may also be processed using a crusher and mixed with cement.

Behavioral Change

Frasco said the biggest change expected from the “Pay As You Throw” system is behavioral, stressing that the municipality does not expect Liloan to become immediately cleaner after its implementation.

He cited Bayawan City’s experience, saying it took the city around 15 to 20 years to perfect its waste-management system.

For Liloan, Frasco noted that the immediate goal is to encourage residents to produce less waste, improve segregation and make it easier for the municipality to identify violations.

“With this system, mas sayon ang tracing, mas sayon makita, mas mo-promote sad jud nga mo-minus sa ilang waste,” he said.

The municipality’s 2024 figures showed that it collected P8.93 million in garbage fees but spent P19.9 million on waste management.

Of the total expenses, about P9.26 million went to workers’ salaries, fuel and truck maintenance, while P10.79 million was spent on tipping fees at the Consolacion sanitary landfill. — /IHM (FREEMAN)