CEBU City is moving to implement stronger penalties for waste segregation violations. The proposal aims to update a two-decades-old ordinance with stricter fines and jail time. The measure is also designed to hold corporations and their leaders accountable for waste and to align local policies with a national law requiring companies to manage their plastic packaging waste.
Amendment
Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak has proposed an amendment to City Ordinance No. 2031, which was first passed in 2004.
The proposed changes would increase penalties for residents and businesses who fail to segregate their trash.
Tumulak's amendment recommended that first-time offenders could be fined P1,000, while repeat offenders may face fines of up to P5,000 or up to six months in prison.
The amendments would also enforce a "No Segregation, No Collection" policy and make corporate officers personally responsible for violations.
Barangay officials would lead enforcement, receiving a share of the fees collected from violators. Public information campaigns would also be rolled out to educate the community on the new rules. The proposal has been referred to the City Council's Committee on Laws for review.
The garbage business
Garbage hauling and disposal is a multi-million peso industry. In 2024, the City Government spent over P407 million on hauling and tipping fees for garbage disposal compared to the P38.68 million in 2023. The City pays P1,100 per ton for tipping fees.
Contractors profit from garbage truck rentals, especially when barangay garbage trucks bog down, hauling services, and landfill operations.
Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, in an earlier interview, said Cebu City generated over 600 tons of waste daily, and most of this is residential garbage, but commercial establishments, markets, and hospitals add to the volume.
He said if segregation and recycling worked properly:
Forty to 50 percent of City's waste could be composted (food and biodegradables).
Plastic could be recovered and sold through recycling partnerships.
The push for stricter penalties comes as Cebu City grapples with an increasing volume of waste. The city generates an estimated 600 to 700 tons of garbage daily, much of which is not properly segregated.
This poor waste management contributes to environmental problems, including pollution, clogged waterways, and health hazards.
The city's waste segregation ordinance, while in place for over two decades, anchored on Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, has been difficult to enforce, Tumulak said.
He believed that under the new measure, stricter fines and penalties are necessary to drive behavioral change and to emphasize that waste management is a shared responsibility. The City hopes to achieve "plastic neutrality" by balancing the amount of plastic used with the amount recovered and recycled.
The bigger picture
The proposed ordinance is part of a broader shift in waste management policy in the Philippines. It aims to align with the national Extended Producer Responsibility Act of 2022.
This law requires manufacturers, importers, and retailers to take responsibility for the plastic packaging waste they produce, with mandated recovery targets set by the government.
By amending its local ordinance, Cebu City is attempting to create a more integrated system. The city's proposal would hold individual households accountable and require the private sector to establish recycling initiatives.
Tumulak's proposed amendment also recognizes the informal waste sector, such as waste pickers and cooperatives, as key partners in the collection and recovery process. This approach is a move toward a more comprehensive, multi-stakeholder model of waste management.
Barangays and deputized personnel will spearhead enforcement. Citation tickets will be issued to violators, and barangays as well as apprehending officers will get a share of the compromise fees collected.
"Barangay officials and community volunteers are at the frontline of waste management. Providing them incentives strengthens enforcement and builds accountability at the grassroots level," Tumulak said. / CAV