Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera raised concerns over the handling of leachate at the Binaliw landfill after learning its wastewater treatment system has been out of operation.
The City Council directed multiple offices to prepare reports on the landfill's structural safety and environmental condition following a site inspection on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.
The council is examining the facility's safety and remaining capacity before deciding whether to resume hauling the city's waste to the landfill operated by Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Cebu.
A CEBU City councilor has raised concerns over the handling of leachate at the Binaliw landfill after learning that the facility’s wastewater treatment system has been out of operation for some time.
Councilor Joel Garganera, chairman of the environment committee, said Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, that a private service provider has been collecting leachate, the contaminated liquid that drains from waste, from the landfill.
He said the council has asked the City Health Department (CHD) to determine where the collected leachate is being taken and how it is being treated or disposed of.
The council is considering resuming the hauling City’s waste to the Binaliw landfill as the City Government continues to face higher costs and longer turnaround times when hauling garbage to Aloguinsan, a town in southwestern Cebu.
Garganera, for his part, said the City should not resume using the landfill until its safety and environmental concerns have been resolved.
“When we talk about safety, it’s not 95 percent, it’s not 85 percent, it’s not 50 percent. It should be 100 percent,” he said.
Leachate disposal
The concern emerged during the council’s site inspection Wednesday, Sept. 2, as the City weighs whether to use the Binaliw landfill again for garbage disposal. The facility is operated by the Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS) Cebu.
Garganera said the council wants to make sure that addressing problems at the landfill does not create environmental problems elsewhere.
Technical personnel from the Office of the Building Official (OBO), City Planning and Development Office, City Health Department (CHD), City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) and other City offices joined the inspection.
The council directed the OBO, CDRRMO, CHD and City Environment and Natural Resources Office to prepare reports on the landfill’s structural safety, environmental condition and compliance.
The reports will be discussed during the council’s executive session Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Safety review
The council is also examining the landfill’s remaining capacity and rehabilitation following its Jan. 8 collapse, which killed 36 people.
Garganera said the landfill operator cited an amended environmental compliance certificate that allows about 150,000 metric tons of waste. Rehabilitation work, however, involves transferring waste from the lower portion of the facility to higher areas to reduce pressure on the structure, a process that could affect its actual remaining capacity.
The council has yet to determine whether the landfill is safe for Cebu City to use again and will await the technical findings before making an assessment.
Garganera also wants the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 to explain the basis for fully lifting the cease and desist order (CDO) against the landfill while rehabilitation and remediation work remains underway.
EMB 7 representatives did not attend Wednesday’s inspection despite being invitated.
PWS Cebu joined the City’s public bidding for garbage disposal in May but was disqualified over documentary requirements. It did not participate in succeeding procurement activities while awaiting the full lifting of the CDO. / CAV