LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Cebu Province and a Japan-based company will begin a feasibility study in September for a proposed integrated waste hub that would bring recycling, recovery, and treatment activities under one system.
The proposed Green Transformation (GX) Parks would serve as centralized facilities for handling different waste streams. That would include plastics, compostable materials, residuals, hazardous medical waste, and electronic waste.
Rather than treating waste-to-energy as the sole answer to Cebu’s waste problem, the province is exploring a broader system. It wants to combine different waste management and recovery approaches.
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During a Cebu Provincial Solid Waste Management Board meeting on Wednesday, August 19, Elizar Sabinay Jr. of the Provincial Planning and Development Office said that the study is set to start on September 11.
Waste management in Cebu Province
Sabinay said the province wants to assess whether several waste management processes can be organized within a single facility.
“We are looking at it in the most holistic and comprehensive manner. One of the solutions that we’re looking at is to have this integrated waste management facility,” he said.
Based in Japan, Guun Co., Ltd. will conduct the feasibility study with local waste management providers and participating local government units (LGUs).
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Study to run starting September
The project followed a provincial delegation’s visit to Yokohama in February and a meeting with Kentaro Doi, Japan’s Vice Minister for Global Environmental Affairs, in May.
Japan approved Cebu’s request for technical assistance in June, providing 9.5 million yen, or about P3.7 million, for the study.
“The amount is small, but at least it’s the start. Technical funding [will] give us an idea if the GX Park is doable or not,” Sabinay said.
The study will run from September 11, 2026, through February 2027. It will examine possible arrangements for developing and operating the proposed facilities.
Funding for waste management
It will also consider whether the project could be financed by the provincial government, private investors, or the national government.
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Danao City, Cebu City, and a yet-to-be-determined location in southern Cebu will serve as areas for the feasibility study.
Potential host LGUs would need to provide at least one hectare of land, according to the project requirements presented to the board.
Why the province is exploring the hub
The proposed project comes as Cebu continues to face problems with waste segregation, enforcement of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, recycling, and the leakage of waste into waterways and coastal areas.
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Officials also pointed to open dumping, increasing waste volumes, and limited integration of recycling activities among the challenges facing the province.
Population growth and urbanization have added pressure to local disposal systems, many of which remain fragmented and reliant on landfills.
“The more the people in Cebu, the more the waste,” Sabinay said.
Board maps out waste strategy
Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro presided over the board’s first meeting, which focused on setting up its working structure and advancing the province’s waste management plans.
The board tackled its formal organization under Executive Order No. 3, s. 2026, which Governor Baricuatro issued in January, as well as plans to establish an executive committee and technical working group.
It also reviewed the status of the Provincial Solid Waste Management Plan and considered a proposed resolution requiring LGUs across Cebu to regularly submit reports on their waste management programs.