City taps schools to reduce waste

CEBU, Philippines — Mayor Nestor Archival is mobilizing Cebu City’s schools in the city’s waste and food security campaign, bringing teachers and principals to the SRP Eco Station where trash is turned into compost, eco?bricks, and animal feed, while training educators to sustain school gardens through urban agriculture.

Archival brought representatives from 50 public schools across the north and south districts to the Eco Station at the South Road Properties (SRP), presenting it as a modern waste processing hub and a model for replication in campuses.

The visit coincided with the start of the new school year and highlighted the city’s urgent push to reduce dependence on the Aloguinsan landfill, where the city has been forced to haul waste at a much bigger expense since the collapse of the Binaliw landfill earlier this year.

The Eco Station, inaugurated last week in time for World Environment Day, was built at the former Bagsakan area in SRP.

It is currently designed to process 15-20 tons of garbage daily, with expansion plans to reach 30-40 tons.

The facility features composting machines, plastic shredders, a black soldier fly (BSF) breeding area, and recycling operations for bottles and glass.

Biodegradable waste is converted into fertilizer, plastics are shredded for eco-bricks or fuel, and organic matter is repurposed into animal feed.

Archival told the delegation that while the Eco Station can handle 15 tons daily, Cebu City generates around 700 tons of garbage each day.

“Giingnan nako sila nga duna tay 15 tons a day nga ma-process dinhi pero ako sang gisulti nila nga 700 tons sad atong ma-generate… mao nay atong gibayran, ug atong gi-haul ug bayran nga tipping fee,” he said, stressing the financial burden of landfill disposal.

He emphasized that schools will now be key partners in reducing landfill dependence.

“Nagkasinabot nami nila nga atong tabangan ang city nga atong ma-reduce ang mga garbage going to the landfill… mao na sa tanang mga eskwelahan nga nia karon, magsugod tabang sa siyudad,” Archival added.

Under the partnership, schools will segregate their waste, which the city government will collect and process at the Eco Station.

The resulting compost will then be returned to campuses for use in their “gulayan sa paaralan” (school gardens).

“At least nakita nila nga ang waste diay dili waste, but it’s a resource,” Archival said.

Teachers and principals expressed appreciation for the program, noting how composting, shredding, and BSF operations showed garbage could be transformed into fertilizer, animal feed, and other useful products.

Earlier, the Cebu City government also conducted the “Balik sa Pananum” Capacity Building on Urban Agriculture attended by 75 Technical-Vocational-Livelihood  and Gulayan sa Paaralan Program coordinators and teachers from the same 50 public schools.

The two-day training program aimed to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in sustainable urban agriculture practices that can be integrated into school gardening projects, supporting food security and environmental sustainability within school communities.

On the first day, participants attended lectures and demonstrations on innovative urban agriculture technologies, including hydroponics, vertical gardening, and the Natural Farming System.

A benchmarking activity at the SRP Eco Station and San Nicolas Elementary School also took place, where participants observed successful urban agriculture projects and best practices for replication in their respective schools.

The City Agriculture Department highlighted that the activity aimed not only to strengthen technical knowledge but also to encourage the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices that contribute to food production, environmental awareness, and experiential learning among students. — /BRP (FREEMAN)