Cebu Schools Must Teach Waste Management to Solve Garbage Crisis
As Metro Cebu grapples with a mounting garbage crisis following the Binaliw landfill collapse, a city councilor proposes a long-term solution that begins not with new facilities, but in the classroom.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chair of the Cebu City Council's Committee on Environment and Energy, urged education authorities to integrate solid waste management into school curricula across all levels during a privilege speech on January 27.
"Not everyone is mindful of where their garbage ends up," Garganera said. "That is precisely why education must start early."
Learning from Yokohama's Success
Garganera's proposal draws from recent waste management training in Yokohama, Japan, where city officials studied a system built on strict household segregation reinforced through education starting in nursery schools.
The Japanese city, which once struggled with poor segregation and landfill dependence like Cebu, transformed its waste management through consistent education and policy enforcement. Today, Yokohama operates four waste-to-energy facilities, down from seven, as improved recycling and segregation reduced landfill dependence.
"Yokohama's experience mirrors Cebu City's past," the councilor noted, emphasizing how education normalized proper waste practices in a city with limited land area.
Warning Against Landfill Dependence
Garganera contrasted this success with Cebu's current trajectory, warning that landfills carry lasting environmental risks. He cited Yokohama's Shinmeidai Landfill, which closed in 2017 but still requires leachate treatment years later.
The city's plan to use the closed Inayawan landfill as a temporary transfer station drew his criticism, invoking Republic Act 9003's prohibition against storing waste at transfer stations beyond 24 hours.
"It is deeply unfortunate that we closed one landfill only to consider reopening another that was never rehabilitated," he said.
Revisiting Waste-to-Energy Solutions
The councilor also urged revisiting waste-to-energy technology as a complementary solution, recalling a previously stalled joint venture with New Sky Energy Philippines Inc. that failed amid weak local government support.
National policy has since evolved, with the Department of Energy including WTE in the Philippine Energy Plan 2023-2050 and issuing guidelines for integrating WTE into the country's power generation mix.
Mayor Nestor Archival has expressed cautious openness to WTE technology while citing health, environmental, and regulatory concerns. "If there is WTE technology, give us the directions," Archival said recently.
Current Crisis Deepens
Cebu City currently transports about 600 tons of daily garbage to a private landfill in Consolacion under an agreement ending February 11. Neighboring cities Talisay and Minglanilla have refused to accept the city's waste, intensifying the crisis.
Garganera formally moved to urge the Department of Education, Local School Board, and Commission on Higher Education to embed waste management concepts into formal curricula, positioning education as the foundation for sustainable waste solutions.
The proposal represents a shift toward addressing behavioral change at its roots, acknowledging that technological solutions alone cannot solve the archipelago's growing waste challenges without proper citizen education and participation.