Davao City steps up disinfection amid garbage woes
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The City Health Office (CHO) has begun disinfection and decontamination operations in areas where garbage has piled up following the shutdown of the city’s sanitary landfill.
Personnel from the CHO’s Tropical Disease Prevention and Control Unit sprayed chemicals on mounds of trash along sidewalks and street corners to reduce foul odor and prevent the spread of flies and maggots, as waste continues to accumulate with no final disposal site currently available.
The operation of the city’s sanitary landfill has been suspended since May 22, after a trash slide on May 20 buried 15 houses in a nearby community, killing two residents and leaving another missing.
The closure has disrupted the city’s solid waste management system, prompting the local government to urge residents to temporarily keep their garbage inside their homes, as there is currently no final disposal site for the roughly 750 tons of waste generated daily by nearly two million residents.
On Sunday, the sidewalk outside the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Lanang was cleared of garbage dumped there days earlier, following a cleanup conducted by utility personnel who transported the waste to a disposal site outside the city.
The DENR had opposed the dumping, warning that littering violates the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
Mayor Sebastian Duterte earlier said the site had been designated as a temporary garbage collection point to highlight the volume of waste generated while essential services remain suspended.
READ: Baste Duterte orders Davao City trash dumped outside DENR office
READ: DENR warns against garbage dumping outside its Davao office
The DENR said it has already identified individuals and vehicles involved in the unauthorized dumping.
“We are preparing legal action against those who committed such violations,” the agency said.
Legal action
Duterte has also appealed to the DENR to allow the resumption of landfill operations.
The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau in the region said it recognizes “the urgency of restoring landfill operations,” but stressed that safety remains the top priority.
“Our teams are on the ground daily with the local government. We understand the operational pressure, but we cannot compromise public safety and environmental protection,” Regional Director Alnulfo Alvarez said.
He added that once safety measures are verified, the suspension order may be lifted.
While the landfill remains closed, the DENR has proposed interim options, including coordination with nearby local governments, co-processing of residual waste with Holcim-Geocycle, fast-tracking a new sanitary landfill under development, and establishing a temporary disposal area within the existing facility.
Duterte said construction of a new sanitary landfill adjacent to the current site has been ongoing since 2024.
The Inquirer observed small trucks — rather than city garbage compactors — collecting segregated waste from several business establishments. —With a report from Ryan D. Rosauro /atm
