Cebu City readies for waste segregation policy enforcement

Local

AFTER years of reminders and repeated warnings, Cebu City is finally drawing a firm line on garbage.

The Cebu City Government will begin enforcing its waste segregation policy on Jan. 16 next year, following a two-week, citywide information drive designed to prepare residents, schools, and barangays for stricter compliance.

Mayor Nestor Archival announced the timeline during a Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) meeting on Dec. 26, saying the city would prioritize public education before ordering enforcers to act against violators.

From January 1 to 15, the city will roll out an intensive information dissemination campaign across all barangays, including radio announcements, community briefings, and school-based orientations.

“We will really push information dissemination first, even going on the radio,” Archival said. “People must understand the rules before we enforce them.”

A major component of the campaign will focus on public schools, which city officials consider critical in shaping long-term waste segregation habits.

The Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), together with members of the Management Improvement Program (MIP), will visit all 115 schools in the city from Jan. 5 to 10, 2026. Teams will conduct orientations on proper waste segregation and assess each school’s level of compliance.

Archival said he will also meet with school heads next month to formally explain the city’s implementation plan.

“Schools have a very big impact. If children learn this early, they can even correct their parents at home,” he said.

During the meeting, Barangay Luz Captain Nida Cabrera suggested that barangays handle the collection of segregated waste from schools. Archival, however, stressed the need for dedicated garbage trucks to serve educational institutions to ensure consistent collection.

Once the information drive ends, enforcement will begin from Jan. 16 to 30.

Archival instructed Barangay Enforcement Officers (BEOs) to issue citation tickets to residents and establishments that fail to segregate their waste, initially serving as a warning phase. He also ordered BEOs to submit regular reports on violations and enforcement efforts in their assigned barangays.

On the same day as the SWMB meeting, the mayor convened all barangay councilors from Cebu City’s 80 barangays to formally notify them of the enforcement schedule.

He reiterated that garbage collectors would no longer pick up trash that is not properly segregated, in line with existing city policy.

SWMB member Emma Ramas emphasized that barangay participation will determine whether the program succeeds or fails.

“We prepared detailed guidelines for the barangays, including clear waste categories. We engaged barangay officials, leaders, recyclers, and partners for this effort,” Ramas said.

She added that clear coordination between barangays and waste collectors would be crucial once enforcement begins.

Cebu City’s waste segregation rules stem from Ordinance No. 2031, passed in 2004, which mandates segregation at source and enforces the “No Segregation, No Collection” policy. Despite its existence, weak enforcement over the years has resulted in widespread non-compliance.

Under current regulations, households and establishments must separate garbage into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, recyclable, hazardous, and bulky waste.

Violators may face fines ranging from ₱1,000 to ₱5,000 and up to six months’ imprisonment for repeated offenses, with community service as an alternative penalty. Officers of non-compliant businesses may also be held personally liable.(TGP)