DENR warns against garbage dumping outside its Davao office

DAVAO CITY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in the Davao region has pushed back against the dumping of a pile of garbage in front of its office here.

In a public advisory, the agency warned that littering is punishable under the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.

READ: DENR-EMB condemns trash dumping at Davao office

On Friday, a pile of garbage had been dumped on the sidewalk outside the DENR office on Barangay Lanang here.

This came after Mayor Sebastian Duterte on Thursday said that they have “identified additional (garbage) collection points, including one in front of the DENR-11 office, so they can personally appreciate the volume of garbage that accumulates when an essential public service is halted indefinitely.”

READ: Baste Duterte orders Davao City trash dumped outside DENR office

But it cannot yet be verified if the dumping of trash was a result of the mayor’s earlier statement.

The DENR said that the individuals and vehicles of those involved in dumping trash in front of its office have already been identified.

“Following the unauthorized disposal of wastes in front of the DENR-11 office, please be informed that this office is preparing legal action against those who committed such violations,” the agency said.

The city is currently faced with a garbage crisis with trash collection in communities experiencing delays after the DENR suspended the operation of its sanitary landfill in Barangay Carmen since May 22. The landfill is the final disposal of most of the 750 tons of waste collected throughout the city every day.

Duterte had asked the DENR to allow the city government to resume landfill operations.

Alnulfo Alvarez, regional director of the Environmental Management Bureau, said they recognized “the urgency of restoring landfill operations” although he also emphasized that “safety remains the foremost consideration.”

“Our teams are on the ground every day with the local government unit (personnel). We recognize the operational pressure the city is facing, but we cannot compromise public safety and environmental protection,” Alvarez explained in a statement on Friday.

“We appreciate the local government unit’s cooperation and the urgency with which they are acting. Once we confirm that all safety measures are in place, we can consider lifting the suspension order,” Alvarez added.

Pending the reopening of the landfill, the DENR said that they have provided various options for the city government. One is “temporary disposal coordination with neighboring local government units” such as Sta. Cruz town in Davao del Sur and Panabo City in Davao del Norte.

Another option is a co-processing arrangement with Holcim-Geocycle for residual waste. Still another is “fast-tracking the use of a new sanitary landfill under development,” and finally, establishing a temporary disposal area within the current sanitary landfill subject to slope stabilization.

On Friday, Duterte said that the development of the new sanitary landfill adjacent to the existing facility has been underway since 2024.

“The Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the project has already been secured, and only the finalization of the loading bay remains pending, with completion expected by June 16, 2026,” he added.

On Friday night, the Inquirer observed a truck collecting segregated garbage in several business establishments in Barangay Buhangin.

The truck driver and his helper said the collected trash will be disposed of in the “dump site” although they did not tell where that facility is located. /jpv