Cebu City’s ‘Ecostation’ may cut landfill-bound waste by 15 tons daily
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City may reduce the volume of garbage transported daily to landfills by up to 15 tons after opening the “Ecostation,” a new waste processing facility, at the South Road Properties (SRP).
The facility forms part of the city government’s waste management efforts following the January 8 collapse of a landfill in Barangay Binaliw, where Cebu City previously disposed of its garbage.
Formally opened on Saturday, June 6, the material recovery aims to help reduce the volume of waste collected daily across Cebu City.
READ: Cebu City resumes waste hauling to Aloguinsan
Mayor Nestor Archival said the Ecostation is necessary as Cebu City continues to face rising expenses from hauling its garbage to farther landfills.
“This is one way to divert the waste heading to the landfills. We also use the waste as a resource: feeds for the chickens, fertilizer for food supply,” Archival said in Cebuano during the facility’s opening.
Cebu City Ecostation
The Ecostation features several types of equipment, including plastic shredders and a shredder-compost machine used for waste processing.
Rizza Isabelle Albina, the facility’s supervisor, said the shredded waste will be sent to a private company and the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works to create “ecobricks.”
Moreover, the facility has an ionization reactor chamber that extracts freshwater from nearby saltwater sources within the SRP area.
Officials said the extracted water will be used for cleaning operations and farming activities inside the facility.
READ: SRP turned into waste staging area amid Cebu City’s landfill crisis
The Ecostation also has its own composting area and a breeding farm for black soldier flies, which officials said help reduce biodegradable waste while producing useful by-products.
The larvae of the black soldier fly feed on biodegradable waste and convert it into compost, fertilizer, and protein-rich animal feed.
City eyes expansion
The facility currently accepts waste from 10 barangays included in the pilot rollout of stricter waste disposal regulations under Executive Order No. 73, series of 2026.
These barangays include Basak San Nicolas, Luz, Carreta, Calamba, Tejero, Mabolo, Tinago, Inayawan, Lorega, and Kalunasan.
The order states that biodegradable waste must be composted at the source, while recyclable materials should be brought to accredited junk shops, recycling facilities, or material recovery facilities, including the Ecostation.
READ: Cebu City declares solid waste management emergency
Archival said the city government plans to expand the program to all 51 urban barangays in Cebu City.
He added that upland barangays must continue their segregation and composting efforts within their respective areas.
Archival also said the facility may process more tons of waste once the city acquires additional composting and shredding machines.
“We aim that by 2028, we can reduce [the daily collected waste] by 30 percent,” he said in Cebuano.
READ: Baste Duterte orders Davao City trash dumped outside DENR office
Rising costs
By shredding and composting waste, the Ecostation aims to reduce part of the 700 tons of garbage collected and transported every day.
According to Department of Public Services head Paul Gelasque, Cebu City currently spends ₱3,904 per ton to haul garbage to a private landfill in Aloguinsan.
The amount translates to roughly ₱2.7 million spent daily, or about ₱1 billion yearly, for hauling operations to the southwestern town.
Archival, meanwhile, estimated that the total cost may reach up to ₱6,000 once machinery expenses, hauling operations, and tipping fees are included.
In comparison, the city government previously paid ₱1,100 per ton in tipping fees while disposing of its garbage at the Binaliw landfill.
City officials said reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills remains among the government’s immediate priorities as disposal costs increase.
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