Proposals to use Inayawan, Binaliw dumpsites as temporary transfer stations junked

Local

AS CEBU City searches for an urgent solution to its mounting garbage crisis, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources–Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) has rejected proposals to use the Inayawan and Binaliw sites as temporary transfer stations.

DENR-EMB Regional Director John Edward Ang made the position clear during an executive session of the Cebu City Council on Wednesday, January 28, saying both locations fail to meet safety, technical, and legal requirements under existing environmental laws.

Ang’s pronouncement came as Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro confirmed that Aloguinsan and Toledo have stepped forward to temporarily accept Cebu City’s waste.

At the center of the discussion was the Binaliw landfill, where rehabilitation efforts are still ongoing following a deadly trash slide.

Ang told councilors that while the landfill operator, Prime Waste Solutions, has submitted technical plans, the site remains unsuitable for any interim use.

“Based on our assessment, we cannot advise positively on the use of the area as a transfer station in the meantime,” Ang said.

He explained that rehabilitation would take significant time and would require grading and stabilizing large volumes of loosely compacted waste.

He said EMB personnel have already conducted ocular inspections at Binaliw and are closely monitoring rehabilitation activities. The agency is set to summon the operator again to assess whether meaningful progress has been made.

Ang also took time to explain what a transfer station legally entails under Republic Act No. 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

A transfer station, he said, is meant only as a short-term convergence point for garbage — with waste staying no longer than 24 hours before being hauled to a sanitary landfill or materials recovery facility.

“The intention is merely to gather waste as a convergence point,” Ang said.

He noted that best practices require garbage to be contained and prevented from touching the soil.

Using Binaliw in its current condition, he added, goes beyond the intent of the law and raises serious environmental and safety concerns.

The closed Inayawan landfill was likewise ruled out.

Ang said the EMB had already assessed the site and concluded that it could not accommodate Cebu City’s daily waste output.

The findings were elevated to DENR Secretary Raphael Lotilla, who agreed with the bureau’s recommendation.

“It’s a no-go,” Ang said.

He added that even as a temporary measure, Inayawan would be insufficient to handle the estimated 600 tons of garbage Cebu City generates each day.

According to Ang, four alternative sites were initially identified, but only two remain under consideration.

Minglanilla has declined to host Cebu City’s waste, while Asian Energy in Consolacion is now being reassessed amid reports that it is nearing the end of its operational lifespan.

This leaves Aloguinsan as the most immediately viable option, pending further coordination and technical clearances.

Baricuatro later confirmed that both Aloguinsan and Toledo have agreed to accept Cebu City’s garbage.

“I’m really happy that Mayor Ig-ig offered to have the trash from Cebu City transported there,” Baricuatro said, referring to Aloguinsan Mayor Cesare Ignatius Moreno.

She added that Toledo’s facility is expected to become operational by March or April 2026.

Meanwhile, Ang said the EMB is now taking a more proactive stance in monitoring waste facilities and coordinating with local governments, stressing that stricter enforcement is being pursued under the leadership of Secretary Lotilla.(TGP)