- 1 day ago
Cebu City’s waste management system faces calls for stronger local control, including a city-owned landfill and greater barangay involvement in garbage hauling.
What are the challenges facing the city’s waste management system, and what solutions can help ensure a more efficient and sustainable way of handling Cebu City’s growing garbage problem?
Join us on Beyond the Headlines as we take a closer look at Cebu City’s waste management plans, challenges, and possible solutions.
Look Deeper. Think Better.
What are the challenges facing the city’s waste management system, and what solutions can help ensure a more efficient and sustainable way of handling Cebu City’s growing garbage problem?
Join us on Beyond the Headlines as we take a closer look at Cebu City’s waste management plans, challenges, and possible solutions.
Look Deeper. Think Better.
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NewsTranscript
01:00Your perfect latte is ready.
01:02Coffee first, then everything else.
01:07Good afternoon and welcome to Beyond the Headlines.
01:10I'm DJ Moises and today's conversation is brought to us by Coffee First.
01:15Today we look deeper and think better with Cebu City's garbage problem.
01:20Right now, the question Cebu City is asking is where all that garbage should go.
01:28With the city spending significantly more to haul its waste outside Cebu, there is now a call for Cebu City
01:36to build and operate its own landfill.
01:38But should building another landfill be the answer?
01:42We have just witnessed the devastating consequences of a landfill disaster in Binalio where 36 lives were lost.
01:51So any discussion about building a new landfill must go beyond cost and convenience.
01:57We have to talk about environmental compliance, engineering, safety, accountability, and whether we are actually reducing the amount of waste
02:06that ends up in the landfills in the first place.
02:09The immediate question is where Cebu City should put its garbage.
02:14But the bigger question should be what kind of waste management system do we want to build for Cebu for
02:22the next 20 to 30 years?
02:24And will that system make us less dependent on landfills?
02:30So, two consecutive days na yun ang nagstorya about garbage, no?
02:36Because ever since the problem started with the collapse of Binalio, that's January 8th,
02:44nothing really significant that happened, which we can say as everyday Cebuano, that the waste or the solid waste of
02:55Cebu City is really managed properly the way it should have been.
03:02So, with this particular suggestion that started also from the City Council, and I think among its proponent is the
03:11President of the Liga ng Mga Barangay, Barangay Captain Franklin Ong.
03:17So, this has generated also quite a number of attention because of the hope that finally, while this will not
03:26necessarily solve the problem in the long term,
03:28but at least we are able to alleviate the situation, the garbage situation that Cebu City is currently in.
03:37So, to have a balanced conversation regarding this topic, allow me to start with what I think are the pros,
03:46no?
03:46Why we should also explore this.
03:49Well, a lot of it, in my view, has something to do with efficiency.
03:55Because right now, Cebu City is working with prime integrated waste solutions.
04:03So, that means that there are several steps in terms of managing the communication towards prime integrated waste and then
04:13back to the city.
04:14So, if the city itself will have to manage its own landfill, then this communication will be shortened and these
04:20coordinations will also be shortened.
04:22The other thing also, it's because this move can also give Cebu City direct control of the process.
04:29Because as we speak, even in Cebu City, there are already a lot of teams and people who are involved
04:34with this.
04:35Number one is the Cebu City Department of Public Services.
04:40Then there's also Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office.
04:48And they are more concerned in terms of monitoring the delivery, the actual delivery of wastes, no?
04:55And then there's also the Cebu City Solid Management Board that also is among the key resources that would ensure
05:06that the material recovery facility, for example, is working.
05:10And at the same time, whether solid waste is truly under control.
05:16And in all this, these different parts of the Cebu City government are all working along with prime integrated waste
05:26solution.
05:27So, if we are then to make Cebu City the owner and the developer and the manager of the landfill,
05:33then it cuts the coordination and it makes the process efficient.
05:37But I'll tell you also later because this comes with a disadvantage.
05:40The other thing is it's likely that such reduction in terms of handling and coordination would result to better waste
05:52segregation at the source.
05:54Because as we know, while Cebu City has about 600 to 700 tons of waste every day, but only 10
06:03to 15 percent of that are residual waste.
06:06And in theory, it should have only been just the 10 to 15 percent of the residual waste will have
06:12to go to the landfill, no?
06:14That would have been the rule, no?
06:16But unfortunately, that's not implemented.
06:19So, this move will give the Cebu City government a direct hand in terms of managing from segregation of waste
06:27until whatever is dumped on the landfill.
06:30And then finally, I also think that with Cebu City having direct control of its own landfill, then they are
06:37able to monitor the capacity better.
06:40And because they're not binded by a contract with an external provider, they will also, the Cebu City government also
06:47will have more flexibility to go beyond Binalio and probably investigate other sections or portions of the city that can
06:54also act as a landfill.
06:56Instead of having just one location, no?
07:00So, and because they have a direct hand in terms of managing and day-to-day decisions, then these possibilities
07:08can be explored, no?
07:10As they come along or can be planned also depending on how Cebu City is monitoring the capacity of a
07:18landfill.
07:18So, these are the advantages.
07:21But like what I said earlier, these also come with a certain set of disadvantages.
07:26Because number one, and I think this is the most obvious probably when I said the first advantage, this already
07:32came into your mind, no?
07:34Ownership does not necessarily mean that it's going to be better, no?
07:39Because we may just have been passing the problem from waste integrated solutions or prime waste solutions directly into our
07:57own backyard.
07:57So, meaning if we do this and we're not correcting the process at all, then we're just moving the problem
08:02from A to B, but it's still the same problem.
08:04So, moving that to Cebu City will not necessarily solve the issue.
08:10The possibility, which is related to the first, is it will only just reproduce the same problem.
08:15Because as I mentioned earlier, in theory, only 10 to 15 percent of the 700 tons that we produce at
08:24Cebu City, the waste that Cebu City generates every day, would have just landed on the landfill.
08:31But if the same team does not have the mindset to really enforce waste segregation and at the same time
08:40monitoring of the landfill capacity, then we are just moving the problem from prime waste to Cebu City.
08:46So, that means the prerequisite for us to explore this side is also to make sure that we have a
08:53different mindset this time.
08:55And we also, and the people who are managing it or who are tasked to work in its success will
09:01have a different mindset.
09:02Because if we continue to do what we are doing, then we will still continue to get what we are
09:08getting.
09:08And it's just a move from prime waste to Cebu City, but it's still the same result.
09:14The other one is the Binalio tragedy should have made us more cautious this time.
09:19And that's why in every episode that we covered this, I would always highlight whether there was an investigation, there
09:27was a result of the investigation.
09:28Not only because the 36 lives and their families also deserve justice, but the other piece of that is that's
09:36also my way of saying that Cebu City has finally learned its lesson.
09:40Because if we don't conduct the investigation and we don't learn our lessons, then the likelihood for the cycle to
09:48repeat will still repeat, no?
09:50It's still high, regardless of whether it's already managed by Cebu or it's managed by a provider such as Prime
09:57Waste.
09:58Let us recall that Inayawan also went through the same journey.
10:02It started as a landfill and then it became a dump site.
10:05And then we eventually moved them to Binalio, which was a landfill, and then eventually it became a dump site.
10:13So if we are not cautious in terms of learning the lessons that we had in Binalio, I can bet
10:19that the likelihood is high that the cycle will just repeat, regardless of who is operating it.
10:24The other thing also is, which is related to what I just said, landfill, according to patterns, no?
10:33Not just in Cebu City, will also give us some sense of permanence, no?
10:38So that's why the cycle always repeats, no?
10:41So moving this from an external provider to the direct control of the city will not necessarily change it unless
10:49we change the mindset.
10:50And then the other part, while I highlighted earlier na mas maayo siya because the city already has a direct
10:59control, no?
11:00From waste segregation until what's eventually dumped in the landfill.
11:04But the disadvantage of that is it could also divide the city's focus.
11:10So instead of working more efficiently and diligently, for example, on waste segregation at the source, because divided na inilang
11:19focus, we will still go back to people throwing their solid waste and all of them still ends up in
11:26a landfill.
11:27So what's my overall assessment then?
11:29If I have already presented what I thought were the pros and the cons, no?
11:34Of Cebu City having its own landfill.
11:39In the overall, I still think that this idea is worth exploring.
11:45But my caution is, this should not be the centerpiece of solid waste management.
11:52Landfill to me, waste segregation to me, is something that we should have done in the short term.
11:59But we need to have a long-term solution.
12:03And I'm leading towards waste to energy.
12:07And I'm not necessarily ramming waste to energy to everybody's throat, no?
12:11What I'm just saying is, that is the better long-term solution that we have as of this time.
12:17If somebody comes up with another one, then why not?
12:20Because even experiences such as countries, progressive countries like Japan, they also started with having both waste management, which includes
12:32recycling and segregation.
12:34At the same time, running a waste to energy facility.
12:38And then, nagkagamay ilang waste, naggamay na po ng ilang ibilin dito sa waste energy.
12:43So it's a parallel process.
12:45No, it's not a linear process.
12:46No, it's not just a one linear process.
12:51And the other thing also is, I will have to go back with our consciousness.
12:56Of the 600 to 700 tons of waste that Cebu City generates every day, only 10 to 15% of
13:04them are actually residual waste.
13:07So that means there's plenty of opportunity to recycle, to reuse, no?
13:14And even to manage the organic or biodegradable waste and turn them into money-making opportunities, no?
13:23Such as fertilizers and etc.
13:25So doing so will also give us more room to finally be able to reap the benefits, no?
13:33Of having garbage.
13:35Yes, there are benefits in having garbage.
13:38If I remember correctly, one country, I think it's Sweden, ends up even buying waste, no?
13:44From neighboring countries, because they really saw that there is a business opportunity when it comes to garbage.
13:51And finally, for us to effectively move forward in both the long-term and short-term solution,
13:58it matters that we should have learned our lesson.
14:03That's why I will always go back to the investigation of what truly happened that caused the lives of 36
14:09people
14:09to give justice to them and their families, at the same time to make sure that we will be moving
14:15forward,
14:16both long-term and short-term, with a better mindset this time, no?
14:21So if you have further comments, if you have further suggestions or questions,
14:26please type them in in the comment section below, and we will do our best to engage in the conversation
14:32if we find them helpful, because I also noticed that some of the comments are not necessarily helpful.
14:37But if we find your questions and your comments to be helpful, then we will engage in this conversation.
14:43So even after the episode, please feel free to type them in in the comment section.
14:48So a landfill may be part of the solution, but it cannot be the whole solution.
14:55It cannot be just the only solution that we have.
14:59A truly sustainable system should reduce what we throw away,
15:04recover what we can reuse, and safely manage what remains.
15:11A long-term solution is not one that solves today's garbage crisis.
15:17It is one that keeps the next generation from inheriting it.
15:23So I'm DJ Moises.
15:25Today's conversation is brought to us by Coffee First.
15:28This has been Beyond the Headlines.
15:30Let's continue to look deeper and think better.
15:34Have a good afternoon.
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