Cebu City eco-station eyed in green push

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City’s goal to find a sustainable solution to its garbage problem has moved a step forward after the city’s eco station at the South Road Properties was considered one of the priority sites in the Green Transformation (GX) Park feasibility study, Mayor Nestor Archival said.

He made the statement following earlier meetings with GUUN Co., Ltd. officials and during the GX Park kick off meeting hosted by the Cebu provincial government late last week at a hotel in Mandaue City.

Archival stressed that Cebu City has been working hard to respond proactively to its growing garbage problem.

“Naningkamot gyud ta nga magbaton og proactive, forward looking response sa atong garbage challenge—pamaagi nga dili ta magsalig ra sa mga landfills, apan maghimo ta og mas maluntaron nga resource recovery ug circular economy mechanisms,” he said.

Archival added that the recognition of the eco station project reflects the city’s determination to move beyond landfill dependence and toward resource recovery.

The eco station, inaugurated in June at the SRP, was developed in the wake of the Binaliw landfill collapse in January that killed 36 workers and forced the city government to spend around P4.2 million daily hauling waste to Aloguinsan.

The facility initially processed up to 20 tons of garbage per day through composting, plastic shredding, eco brick production, and black soldier fly breeding.

Archival said its consideration under the GX Park study is a major step in scaling up Cebu’s innovations.

The GX Park initiative is being pursued with GUUN Co., Ltd., a Yokohama based environmental company that has operated a waste-plastic recycling plant in Consolacion since 2012, and EX Research Institute Ltd., which presented the feasibility study framework.

GUUN’s Cebu operations have already demonstrated how residual plastics can be converted into “fluff fuel,” an alternative to coal that reduces emissions and energy costs.

Deputy Consul General Yasuko Kurihara of the Consulate General of Japan in Cebu underscored the urgency of long term solutions as waste generation continues to rise, noting that the project coincides with the 17th year of Philippines–Japan diplomatic cooperation.

 “We need to move beyond simply disposing of trash and find solutions,” Kurihara said.

Governor Pamela Baricuatro, who convened Metro Cebu local government units, national agencies, and private sector leaders for the meeting, emphasized that cooperation across sectors is essential.

“We have to be people who walk the talk. To create the forest, we start by planting the seed,” she said, adding that technology alone cannot solve Cebu’s waste problem without public education and enforcement.

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office official Rodel Bontuyan echoed this, stressing that household level discipline is crucial to achieving lasting results.

Cebu Provincial Board Member Stanley Caminero likewise called for realistic approaches to discipline in waste management, saying the feasibility study must determine workable ways to strengthen enforcement.