Journal of Environmental Science and Management 15(2): 74-82 (December 2012)

ISSN 0119-1144

74

Institutional Arrangements for Solid Waste Management in Cebu City, Philippines

Rico C. Ancog1, Nestor D. Archival2 and Carmelita M. Rebancos3

ABSTRACT

The formulated solid waste management strategies in the highly urbanized Cebu City in Central Philippines was
set to directly target identified waste concerns to fully maximize limited resources. Based on Friedman test conducted
to evaluate differences of the solid waste generation in years 2007-2009, no statistically significant reduction effects of
the prior solid waste ordinances and strategies implemented in 1990 and 2004 was found (p-value=0.431 < =5%).
It was realized that programs implemented must provide economic incentives to fully impress upon constituents that
waste is a resource. A coordinated enforcement scheme through the formation of the Cebu Environmental Sanitation
Enforcement Team (CESET) of the city government in partnership with the community and civil society and along
with the creation of special environmental courts have resulted for the enforcement measures to take effect. Forging
strategic partnerships arrangements with both local and international groups to help advance city waste management
was deemed important particularly on the aspects solid waste management capability trainings, landfill facility
improvement, waste to energy project implementation as well as on the procurement of waste management equipments.
In a decentralized environmental management common among many developing countries, harnessing various
institutional arrangements to enhance participation and cooperation among stakeholders could be found useful to
enhance local government units capacity to provide basic public services while also achieving environmental targets.
Key words: institutional arrangements, solid waste management, Cebu City

INTRODUCTION
The type of institutions present in a local government
unit and the various arrangements between and among
them Critical to the realization of a sustainable solid waste
management program. Institutions refer to conventions,
norms and legal rules of a society that provide expectations,
stability and meaning essential for coordination that in turn
regularize life, support values and protect and produce
interests (Vatn 2005). Hagedorn (2002) related that
institutional arrangements geared toward co-ordination
would arise depending on the features and implications of
transactions related to nature and the ecosystem. Applied in
the context of the local commons, Ostrom (1990) explained
that institutional arrangement is essentially both the formal
and informal rules influencing human behavior and could
be categorized into three levels such as operational rules,
collective choice rules, and constitutional choice rules.
While operational and collective choice rules pertain to day
to day rules made by resource users, and the rules used by
users and external agents, respectively; constitutional choice
rules determine eligibility to participate in the system and in
setting rules for collective choice rules (Ostrom 1990).
Various institutional approaches for various facets
of solid waste management could be employed to ensure
sustainability. Solid waste management includes collection,
transfer, recycling and disposal of solid wastes (CointreauLevine 1994; Ogu 2000). Institutional arrangements specific
to solid waste management in a local government unit could
be between and among key actors that include the local

government, the community, and the private sector, which

could generally be categorized to fall under legal, regulatory
and financing components (Figure 1).
The challenges of effective solid waste management
are exacerbated with the growing urbanization (Ahmed and
Ali 2004). Now with the decentralization of the management
of environmental resources to local government units in the
Philippines, the need for innovative approaches is pressing
given some financial resources limitations. However, with
the enactment of the Ecological Solid Waste Management
Act (RA 9003) that sets the guidelines on solid waste
avoidance and volume reduction, local government units
remain uncertain particularly with regard to enforcement
and financing of solid waste management program (Sumalde
2003).
This paper aimed to present the specific case of Cebu
City in its efforts to address the waste issues and concerns
at all levels. Cebu City is a leading city in the Philippines
attributed largely to being the gateway to central and
southern parts of the country and having gained the prestige
of being a top tourist destination in Southeast Asia. With its
rich natural endowments coupled with its colorful historical
background, it has achieved and maintained a vibrant
economy resulting it to be recognized as a highly urbanized
city in the Philippines. The city, however, is confronted with
soaring population that aggravates the generation of solid
wastes, thus, posing a challenge on its management.

Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baos, College, Laguna 4031. E-mail: rcangcog@yahoo.com.
ph (corresponding author)
2
City Councilor, City of Cebu, Cebu City 6000
3
Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management, UPLB
1

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

75

of Cebu were also conducted to enrich the analysis.

Friedman Test was employed to analyze the reduction
effects of implemented solid waste management ordinances
of the Cebu City Council which were passed during 1990 and
2004. The three-year (2007-2009) daily to monthly data on
Cebu City total solid waste (in tons) were used as the study
data set. Ho: The policy implementation has no effect on the
reduction of solid waste. Ha: The policy implementation has
an effect on the reduction of solid waste. Rule: reject Ho if
p-value is less than alpha=5%. SPSS ver 13.0 was used to
run the data analysis.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Cebu City Solid Waste Profile

Figure 1. Major stakeholders in solid waste management of

a local government unit and typologies of
institutional arrangements.

Faced with the existing solid waste management issues

and concerns, Cebu City Government has worked its way
one step at a time. For the past years, several initiatives have
been implemented in line with the long-term solid waste
management program. As a guiding principle, solid waste
management is considered as a multi-sectoral engagement
involving innovative and partnership strategies. More
importantly, the Cebu City government sees the need to
redirect its constituents to believe that solid wastes could
exist only when people lose sight of its value. This study
provides a background on Cebu City, its garbage profile,
institutional arrangements and the initiatives undertaken to
implement an integrated solid waste management. These
initiatives range from policy formulation to information,
education campaigns and the implementation of vermicomposting and trash-to-cash projects among several others.
METHODOLOGY
The analysis of the institutional arrangements for solid
waste management in Cebu City focused mainly on three
aspects namely legal, regulatory and financing mechanisms
(Figure 1). Institutional arrangements related to the legal
aspect focused on assessment of historical sequence and
coverage of solid waste management-related Cebu City
ordinances and legislations from 1990-2010. Both the
regulatory and financing arrangements were analyzed
through intensive review of secondary data on the volume,
collection schemes, garbage fees and monitoring taken
from Cebu Citys Department of Public Services (DPS)
and Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement
Team (CESET). Interview of some members of Cebu City
Council and department heads of the city government

Location and Population. Cebu City is situated in the

central eastern part of the Cebu island-province. It is bounded
in the north by Mandaue City; in the south by Talisay City;
in the east by the Mactan Channel; and by the municipalities
of Balamban and Toledo in the west. It is comprised of 80
barangays, 30 of which are categorized as urban and 50 as
rural barangays. Urban area shares 24% of the citys total
land area (78.09 km2) while the rural area shares 76% (248.01
km2). In terms of topography, the coastal areas accounting to
about 15% of the city have a relatively flat terrain while 85%
has elevations ranging from 40 to 400 m above sea level.
As of 2010, Cebu City has a population of 866,171 but
it rises to over a million during daytime due to the influx of
the working force in the city, and with a population growth
rate at 3%. On the average, the city has a population density
of 2,204 persons m-2. There are a total of 161,151 households
in Cebu City having an average of five (5) members per
household (NSO 2010).
Waste Characteristics and Major Generators. Using
the available 3-year data from Cebu City Governments
Department of Public Services on solid waste weighed at the
Citys Inayawan Landfill Site prior to final disposal, Cebu City
produced about 96,980.42, 107,192.08 and 106,387.53 t for
2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively (Figure 2). Specifically
in 2007, the National Solid Waste Commission ranks Cebu
City as ninth among the top ten city waste generators in the
Philippines with a recorded waste generation ranging from
300 to 500 t of t day-1 or an estimated of 0.40 kg capita day-1.
The solid wastes in Cebu City are generated by
various sectors such as the households that accounts
to about 40%, commercial establishments 25%, public
markets 20%, school and hospitals 10% and industries 5%.
Almost 60% of wastes disposed in the Sanitary Landfill are
biodegradable, 25 % are recyclables and 15% are hazardous
and special wastes including mixed residuals (Figure 3).

Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

Total Solid Waste (in kg)

76

2007
2008
2009

Quarter of a year
Figure 2. Total solid wastes generated in Cebu City, per
quarter, from 2007-2009.

Figure 3. Cebu City waste characteristics, 2007-2010.

Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET)

and Department of Public Services.

Garbage collection operates 24 hours in three

shifts collected by city government garbage trucks and
complemented by the barangay trucks. Three collection
schemes have been implemented, namely:
The communal method where a common waste receptacles
are strategically located in public places. The city garbage
collectors then collect the accumulated wastes. This
method has been found to be effective in the public markets
of Cebu City.
Household collection is done with the scheduled garbage
trucks roving to different households in different barangays
in Cebu City.
The above-mentioned schemes were supplemented with
the initiatives of the various commercial establishments
such as big malls that provide material recovery facility
centers where solid wastes from different barangays could
be sold by the constituents.
Waste Disposal Facility. The Cebu City Sanitary Landfill
Facility is located in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City and is
commonly called as the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill (ISL). It
was constructed on September 11, 1998 with a total area of
11 hectares and was estimated to have a life span until 2005.
The continued usage of the ISL has stretched its operations
to the limit as finding an alternative site has become a major
challenge until its final closure last March 2012. The current
disposal site is now in Consolacion, an adjacent municipality
of Cebu City.
Garbage Fee. Cebu City has currently implemented
minimal fees that are incorporated in the Real Estate and
Business Taxes. In effect, the Cebu City has been for
years subsidizing the cost of waste collection, transport
and disposal amounting to about 47 million pesos for the
year (2007-2010). This amount does not include the costs
of supervision, fuel, lubricants and aid to the different
barangays.
National and Local Policies on Solid Waste Management

Figure 4. Bicarts, an innovative means of collecting wastes

in Cebu City.
Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

Currently, the Cebu City Government is equipped with

20 open dump trucks, four garbage compactors, three multilifts, 15 tricycle collectors and three pay loaders. Despite
the number of equipments, the city needs to address the
solid wastes collection in areas where trucks are unable to
pass. This was partially solved as Cebu City Governments
Department of Public Services modified the trisikads. These
trisikads were impounded units and were unclaimed for
years, which were used to service collection of solid wastes
in congested areas (Figure 4).

National Policy Framework. The Republic Act 9003

also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management
Act 2000 of the Philippines governs the Ecological Solid
Waste Management Program of the entire country. The
law sets the guidelines on proper solid waste management
among local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines
and aims to protect the public health, ensures environmental
sustainability and economic efficiency. It mandates the
creation of the Solid Waste Management Commission
(SWMC) that oversees the implementation of the Act at
all levels of the government. At the national level, the
National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC)
oversees that the law is implemented and also monitors the
submission and the approval of the different LGUs Solid
Waste Management Plans (SWMPs). In the same provision,

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

it requires the formation of the Solid Waste Management
Board (SWMB) at all LGUs down to the smallest unit which
is the barangay that has the primary role of implementing
programs, policies and law enforcement.
Local Policies and Institutional Arrangements of Cebu
City Government. The solid waste management and
enforcement system in Cebu City has been largely dependent
on the proactive legislative measures that are already in
placed along with the unique leadership structure of the
Cebu City Government. Several ordinances related to solid
waste management has been passed already as enumerated
as follows.
a.
Cebu City Ordinance 2017, October 6, 2004. An
ordinance creating the Cebu City SWMB that develops
the Cebu City SWMP. The SWMB shall ensure the longterm management of solid waste, as well as integrate the
various solid waste management plans and strategies of
the Citys barangays. The development of the SWMP was
done by conducting consultations with the various sectors
of the community. The Board was also mandated to adopt
measures to promote and ensure the viability and effective
implementation of the SWMP in its component barangays.
In addition, the SWMP shall monitor the implementation
of the Cebu City SWMP and forge cooperation with the
private sector and the non-government organizations
(NGOs). Furthermore, the Board was tasked to adopt
specific revenue-generating measures to promote the
viability of the Solid Waste Management Plan. Up to
present, the Board convenes every Friday of the week.
b.
Cebu City Ordinance 2031, November 10 2004.
An ordinance for the implementation of solid waste
segregation at source with penalties for violations and the
creation of the special fund for incentives. Highlight to this
ordinance is Article 8 which stresses on the monitoring
and enforcement component, which is lodged with the
Monitoring/Enforcement Unit of the Cebu City SWMB.
Article 8 Section 9. 2 indicates that the barangay officials,
designated barangay residents, academic institutions,
civic groups, peoples organizations (POs), nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and representatives
from the private sector were deputized by the Mayor
to apprehend any person or entity caught violating any
provision hereof. The deputized enforcers who were
recommended by their respective organizations, groups,
or units underwent trainings on solid waste management,
law enforcement, and courteous manner of apprehending
violators as requirements before they are sent out to the
field. This group is now known as the Cebu Environmental
Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).
c. Cebu City Ordinance 1361, February 5, 1990. An ordinance
which mandates the establishment of garbage collection
system along with the necessary imposition of fees. This
ordinance clearly spells out prohibited acts that every

77

citizen must follow such as littering, spitting, urinating,

and burning of plastic wastes among others. Through this
ordinance, business establishments located in the main
thoroughfares were required to maintain cleanliness of at
least five meters from their respective buildings. It was
earlier envisioned that once this measure will be fully
put in place, the need for more street sweepers paid for
by the government would decrease. However, the full
implementation of this ordinance, which was passed about
11 years ahead than the RA 9003, has not been achieved
given the difficulty in enforcement.
The above ordinances have been made possible largely
due to the existing set-up resulting to effective coherence
and alignment of the legislative and executive branches
of the Cebu City government. Any local government
unit in the Philippines has both executive and legislative
powers where the City Mayor holding the executive
power while the legislative body is composed of the Vice
Mayor and Councilors which is primarily responsible for
crafting ordinances. Every councilor is tasked to handle a
certain committee where he/she can primarily focus his/
her policy formulation. In the case of Cebu City, however,
Councilors were as well given with a quasi-executive
function to implement program aligned to the measures he/
she has legislated. This institutional arrangement has been
found unique among other cities in the Philippines and the
city of Cebu has taken full advantage of this institutional
arrangement to execute any measures and possibly amend
it in an easier way if some difficulties with regards to its
implementation are found.
Other than the economic-related measures that have
been implemented in Cebu City, an effective and innovative
enforcement measure was put in placed through the creation
of Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team
(CESET). As a result, enforcement of the solid waste
management ordinances is regularly in operations now. It is
composed of volunteers from the community and civil society
groups, which has undergone trainings on different sanitation
and environmental laws including how to apprehend
violators. Serving as an enforcement arm of the city, the
team has been deputized by the City Mayor to issue citation
tickets to ordinance violators which has totaled to about
33,968 already starting from the start of its implementation
to March 2008 generating to about PhP 1.5 million.
It is the CESET volunteers who carry on with the
implementation of ordinances both generating livelihood
for them and generating revenues for the city government.
Penalties for violators as stipulated in the ordinance are
described as:
Criminal persecution means that any person found guilty
of violating Ordinance 2031 shall be punished by a fine
of not less than one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) but not

Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

78

more than five thousand pesos only (P5,000.00) or by

imprisonment of not less than one (1) month to not more
than six(6) months, or both fine and imprisonment at the
discretion of the court. If the violation is committed by a
juridical person, the manager or person-in-charge shall be
held liable.
Compromise Fee If the violator opts to settle the liabilities
for such violation by paying out-of-court compromise fee,
the City Mayor or his duly authorized representative may
approve the application made by the violator with the
caveat on the violator not to violate again any provision
of this ordinance; Provided further, that the compromise
fee which the violator shall pay out of court shall be in
the amount of Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) only. Any
violator who shall have paid a compromise fee and
commits a second violation shall no longer be qualified for
an out-of-court compromise fee.
Community Service If the violator cannot pay the
compromise fee, the person must render community
service of one (1) day to fifteen (15) days at any barangay
as determined by the Monitoring/Enforcement Unit of the
Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board. It was observed
that the number of cases starting from the implementation
of the CESET enforcement program up to the present has
been gradually decreasing which would mean that people
are becoming conscious and aware regarding the city
waste enforcement program. In addition, the accumulated
fine is subject to the following:
Fifty-percent (50%) of collected compromise fees
from a barangay shall proceed to the city treasury.
Thirty percent (30%) of collected compromise fees
from a barangay shall go to the same barangay

where apprehension have been made;

Twenty percent (20%) of collected compromise from a
violator shall go to the apprehending person. The City
Government awards the incentives to the barangays
and the apprehending persons on a semi-monthly basis.
In addition, to test whether above-mentioned policies
implemented as early as 1990s and in 2004 had reduction
effects on solid wastes generation in Cebu City, Friedman
Rank Sum Test was conducted comparing 2007, 2008
and 2009 total solid waste data weighed prior to final
disposal at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill. The computed
p-value=0.431 is lower than alpha=5% suggesting that
the implementation of such policies had no statistically
significant effect on the reduction of solid wastes for the
year 2007-2009 (Table 1). This result, however, could
not strictly mean that such ordinances in Cebu City were
totally ineffective. Rather, possible additional support for
full implementation and the likely scaling-up of the solid
waste management projects may lead to better results.
Strategies and Programs Implemented in Cebu City
Review of Existing Programs and Policies. In year
2004, a review on how Cebu City manages its solid
wastes was called for by the City Mayor to assess its
effectiveness, identify problems and formulate new
approaches and strategies relevant to prevailing conditions.
The solid waste management program in Cebu City
was not able to take-off due to the following reasons:
Non-participation of the constituents. Misconceptions
mostly from the sector of the urban dwellers that the

Table 1. Descriptive and Friedman Test Statistics of Cebu City solid wastes, 2007-2009.
Descriptive Statistics
N
2007
2008
2009
Ranks

44
44
44

Mean
(in kilos)

Std.
Deviation

Minimum
(in kilos)

Maximum
(in kilos)

149421.90
164963.80
161095.62

118472.54
141545.34
127640.80

21250.83
36051.00
19490.00

618220.58
785498.36
701415.42

Mean Rank
2007
1.84
2008
2.07
2009
2.09
Test Statistics
N
44
Chi-Square
df
Asymp. Sig.

1.682
2
.431

Note: Ho: The policy implementation has no effect on the reduction of solid waste
Ha: The policy implementation has effect on the reduction of solid waste.
Rule: reject Ho if p-value < alpha=5%

25th
63836.52
71175.30
64269.58

Percentiles
50th (Median)
122471.75
141160.21
128001.45

75th
187062.10
201719.14
217735.20

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

citys waste is the responsibility of the government.
The ISL was at its ultimate closure. Cebu City landfill site
has already reached more than its life span of seven years.
Lack of political will. Officials largely responsible for the
implementation of the mandates of the law especially in
apprehending ordinance violators are reluctant in doing
so as it is perceived to affect their political careers.
Limited financial capacity and technological capability.
These result in accumulation of solid waste in the streets
since the schedule of wastes collection was not followed.
Typologies of SWM Strategies Implemented in Cebu
City. In response to the results of the review, the Cebu City
government has developed programs and strategies in order
to improve its solid waste management initiatives. These
strategies included Information and Education Campaign,
Cash from Trash Project and Trash to Products Initiative,
enforcement activities through the CESET and local and
international outsourcing strategies in implementing solid
waste management programs.
Information, and Education Campaigns (IEC). The
Cebu City Government has recognized that the success of
the solid waste management program largely depended on
the heightened level of awareness among its constituents
to ensure their active participation. This was done through
the implementation of various information and education
campaigns aimed at making the people understand and the
need to comply with the laws and ordinances as its main
objective. The City government served as the main initiator
to start these education campaigns, which target the different
sectors of the city.
The sectoral approach of the implementation of the
IEC activities was seen to be effective as each sector shares
the same waste stream. Each sector prepared IEC activities
that were appropriate to their respective needs and situations.
Overall, IEC was implemented by involving national,
regional and local media networks. To fully implement this,
Cebu City government maximizes all channels spanning
from one-on-one communication in dealing with the enforcer
and the violator to interpersonal communication like group
channels e.g. meetings, discussions, demo-lectures, fora and
seminars.
The IEC activities in the community were
complemented with programs at school which are basically
aimed at increasing the level of awareness and participation
among students. At the elementary and public high school
levels, students were asked to bring recyclables to school
where it could be sold and their earnings will serve as their
daily allowance. Moreover, it was emphasized to them
that other than earning money from wastes, they could
become active participants in conserving the environment.

79

Waste as a Resource Strategy. The implemented solid

waste management program in Cebu City was guided with
the need to let its constituents realize that wastes have
value. This was done by highlighting economic incentives
from the wastes generated and in emphasizing that wastes
were resources that were largely untapped. In line with this
thinking were the various implemented programs specific
to the types of wastes generated. For the recyclables,
Cash from Trash and Trash to Products strategies
were implemented while various composting strategies
were implemented for the biodegradable wastes. In terms
of the recyclable non-biodegradable wastes, barangaybased waste segregation activities were conducted in eight
pilot urban barangays of Cebu City. The first phase is in
addressing the recycling of non-biodegradables, which
accounted for about 25% of the total waste generated
in Cebu City daily, since this was found to be the easiest
to manage. Each of these programs is discussed below.
Kwarta sa Basura (Cash from Trash) Program. At the
barangay level, government officials organized the womens
organizations to conduct a Buying day for the recyclables.
These womens organizations were the prime movers of the
Cash from Trash program. Every week, they gather edthe
recyclables and brought them to the collection site for sale.
Every barangay was assigned with a buyer of recyclable
materials which was given with seed money by the Cebu
City Government. Eventually, these women organizations
were now turned into cooperatives. Crucial to such strategy
was a strong womens group led also by strong barangay
officials that in turn sustained the initiatives at the barangay
level.
The partnerships built on this strategy were that of the
recyclers, the junkshop owners, and the local government
units. Starting 2007, there were about eight barangays
implementing the Cash from Trash programs, which was
expected to have been replicated to the other barangays of
Cebu City as well.
Since 2006-2007, the two big malls of Cebu City,
namely SM City Cebu and the Ayala Mall have created
their Waste Market programs. With the comprehensive IEC
of the City, big establishments were asked to come up with
programs in line with the solid waste management program
of the city. As a response these malls have partnered with the
local barangay units to contribute to recycling as their form
of corporate social responsibility.
Trash to Products Strategy. Turning trash to products was
another strategy implemented by womens organizations that
is participated mostly by housewives. Various accredited
NGOs in the city government were requested to implement
programs that will contribute to waste reduction while
providing alternative sources of income. These organizations

80

Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

Figure 6.Vermicomposting project in the Cebu City Nursery.

Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

to echo their learning in their respective barangays. Thus, the

vermicomposting program in Cebu City took off. However,
a more detailed analysis on the impacts of the project since it
was first implemented and the current status of this program
was needed.

Figure 5. Products from Trash Initiatives of some groups in

Cebu City.
Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

were provided with financial grants to implement their

programs after accreditation. Waste products like laminates
were turned into durable bags, slippers and wallets, which
were then sold in the markets (Figure 5).
Composting Programs. In order to avert the volume of
organic wastes being disposed to the sanitary landfill,
composting programs has been implemented. This was
realized through outsourcing strategies from local and
international partners.
Vermicomposting. As early as 2007, the Cebu City
Government has tapped the San Miguel Corporation (SMC),
which facilitated the implementation of the training of
trainors (TOT) on vermicomposting technology for the
Cebu City Government and selected barangay personnel.
The said program was part of its program on corporate social
responsibility projects. Aside from engaging in agricultural
crop production, SMC also saw vermicomposting as
a promotional activity for the company. Participants
of the TOT then became trainors who were later asked

Cebu City established its vermicomposting project

in the City Agriculture Department and at the Parks and
Playgrounds Division, which serve as demonstration
facilities for the different barangays of Cebu City (Figure 6).
The City Government through its volunteers in the CESET
conducted lecture-demonstrations on vermicomposting.
As of 2007, about eight barangays have been conducting
vermicomposting programs and was expected to have
increased up to present. This strategy on biodegradables was
used as a waste reduction and waste diversion mechanism
as buying compost could be cheaper than the commercial
fertilizers. The City Government had appropriated budget
in buying the produced compost fertilizers at PhP 5.00/
kilo that were utilized for the parks and playgrounds of
Cebu City. Since about 60% of the solid wastes of Cebu
City were dumped at the landfill site, vermicomposting
was instrumental in prolonging the life span of the landfill.
Outsourcing Strategies. With the limited financial capacity
and technological capability, Cebu City involved the
necessary environmental linkage and networking among
different groups and institutions from both local and
international groups which found to have the same agenda
and concern to that of the Cebu City. Through the years, the
Cebu City government has forged collaborations necessary
to advance its city waste management. Highlights of these
outsourcing strategies are the following, namely:
Local Outsourcing Strategies
Information, Communication, Education Initiatives. Local
universities such as the Southwestern University, University
of Cebu and St. Theresa College have implemented initiatives
on having in-house solid waste management program that

Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

81

includes IECs among its students. Worth mentioning were the

efforts of the St. Theresa College to implement a school-wide
solid waste management program particularly in integrating
environmental concerns in its curriculum and instruction.

various waste management programs on their respective

localities thus were initially tapped to help Cebu City in
implementing every aspect of its solid waste management
programs.

Lihok Filipina, a network of Filipino women,

implemented information campaigns and education program
in Cebu City related to solid waste management program
at the household level. They organized and enjoined
housewives to participate in a Waste to Product programs
that produced homemade crafts that are sold in the market.
On the other hand, the Alyansa sa mga Lumulupyong Kabus
Alang sa Pagpalambo (ALCAP) or Alliance of the Urban
Poor for Development, a peoples organization participated
in by the wives of the Cebu port workers also engaged
their free time into producing and selling paper products to
generate additional income for the family.

Training on Capability Building. Personnel and officials who

wre primarily involved in the environmental sanitation and
solid waste management concerns have been continuously
sent for trainings both in local and international organizations.
In 2000, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, a sister city of Cebu,
was instrumental in the drafting of the citys solid waste
management framework as well as in extending technical
assistance to enhance capability of the local officials with
regards to solid waste management. In addition, a four-man
team from the Cebu City-Department of Public Services was
sent to attend a three-week Solid Waste Management Training
in Hoofddorp Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands in 2002. It was
followed with another team later sent on November 2003.
These capability trainings were instrumental in ensuring
that key personnel in solid waste management in Cebu
City benchmarked their activities with other cities abroad.

Biogas Digester Project. The University of San Carlos along

with its Affiliated Non-Conventional Energy Center (USCANEC) provided the technical expertise on the Biogas
Digester project that was implemented with funds from the
Cebu City Government. The project aimed to process the
waste from the Cebu City Abattoir into methane gas. The
technical expertise of the University was provided for free as
this has become an their extension activity. USCs technical
assistance was further availed for the implementation of the
Cebu City Clean Air Project funded by USAID that has been
underway.
Waste Market Initiatives. The Ayala Mall has organized the
Cebu Business Park and Neighboring Barangays Altruistic
Alliance Inc. (CBPNBAAI) to enjoin all tenants and the
surrounding barangays in implementing a recycling program.
Ayala Mall tenants sold their recyclables so that it could be
bought and reused by other potential buyers. Likewise, the
SM City Cebu scheduled every Saturday of the week as Waste
Market day where Cebu barangay residents could bring in
their recyclables also to be sold to other interested buyers.
International Outsourcing Strategies

International outsourcing program of Cebu City

was forged through the assistance of the United Nations
Environment and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific.
Cebu Citys Committee on Foreign Relations tapped several
Consular Offices in Cebu City to identify local government
units in their respective country that can possibly aid Cebu
City in implementing effective solid waste management
program. This has led to the establishment of sister city
linkages that were found to be very important in coming
up with environmental network of Cebu City. Among many
sister city pacts entered into by the Cebu City include Fort
Collins, Collarado; Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands and
Kitakyushu City, Japan. Each of these cities has implemented

Sanitary Landfill Facility Projects. Haarlemmermeer,

Netherlands, another sister city of Cebu, assisted the
organized waste scavengers at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill
to engage in composting as their alternative source of income
once the sanitary landfill after its eventual closure last March
2012. Financial support amounting to PhP 480,000.00
has given to Cebu City to cover incentives for the waste
scavengers who were now engaged in composting program
of the city government. In addition, a trash compactor for
the sanitary landfill was provided to Cebu City. This was
also instrumental in extending the life span of the Inayawan
Sanitary Landfill.
Wastewater Treatment Facility Project. Kitakyushu City,
Japan funded the Jokaso project which was a communitybased waste water treatment facility. The implementation
of this project was also instrumental in coming up of the
Strategic Plan for addressing solid waste management
issues for the Guadalupe River, a major river system
in Cebu City. In addition, Takakura Home Method
(THM) Composting has since been implemented in
2006 with the assistance of the Kitakyushu International
Techno Cooperative Association to process domestic
solid waste into compost by using lactic acid bacteria.
The implementation of the Cebu Common Treatment
Facility, Inc (CCTFI) was one case that showed how
partnership among the business sector, city government and
a funding agency could be pooled together to implement an
important environmental project for the benefit of all. As
experienced, several business establishments in Cebu City,
primarily the metal finishing industry, were continuously
faced with the problem of disposing its toxic wastewater

Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

82

while others have the difficulty of implementing in-house

wastewater treatment facility due to the cost it entails. As a
group, they have signified their concern through the Cebu
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) to the Cebu City
Government. After a series of collaborative meetings, the
Cebu City Government entered into a Bilateral Agreement
for Technical Cooperation in 1991 with the Federal Republic
of Germany through the German Agency for Technical
Cooperation (GTZ). This joint venture has resulted to the
establishment of the Cebu Common Treatment Facility,
Inc. (CCTFI) which was primarily managed by the CCCI
after being granted with the treatment equipments from
the German Government and its lot being provided by the
Cebu City government. Since 2007, CCTFI was an ISO
14001 certified wastewater treatment facility and has been
offering a comprehensive hazardous waste and wastewater
treatment and disposal services that have been found to be
more economical than requiring each business establishment
to build their own treatment facility.

Environmental Code to sustain its solid waste management

activities in conjunction with other public services targets.
More detailed analyses on the earnings of the households, the
community and local in engaging to a number of solid waste
management strategies through time is recommended to afford
a long-term understanding of the impacts of the program.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Congress of the Philippines. 2001. Republic Act No. 9003

Ecological solid waste management act of 2000. Manila.

As in the case of Cebu City, the most important key

for the solid waste management program to be successful
is the necessary community involvement that is achieved
when implemented programs provide economic incentives
coupled with a rigid enforcement scheme to ensure a
sustained city waste management program. Full participation
across different sector of the society such as the businesses,
non-governmental organizations, barangay councils,
among others, must be tapped to ensure a comprehensive
participation of the program. With limited financial and
technological capability, partnership with both local and
international groups to advance city waste management is
indeed important. The different institutional arrangements
provided in this study are not purely unique to Cebu City.
However, the typologies of such arrangements between and
among the different stakeholders including the support from
within and outside of Cebu City provided a good mix of
strategies necessary for a complex solid waste management
in a context of highly-urbanized local government unit.
The remaining challenge faced by Cebu City was how
to ensure the continuity of the solid waste management
program. This could be the groundwork to achieve a longterm goal of sustaining Cebu Citys solid waste management
program, and should take off from vision to germination.
These include the institutionalization of all environmental
initiatives on solid waste management starting from policy
formulation, program development and implementation, and
enforcement strategies. With all these initiatives undertaken
at hand, the role of the Cebu City Environmental and Natural
Resources Office to coordinate with other departments of the
Cebu City government particularly the Department of Public
Services need to be clearly outlined in the Cebu Citys

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Thanks to the various offices of the Cebu City Government
for the data with the assistance of Dianne Rallon, Olani Marie
N. Bongato, Ma. Kristina Oquinena and Gabrielle Keisha Pena.