Cebu City will begin strict enforcement of its long-standing waste segregation policy in mid-January 2026, following a two-week citywide information campaign aimed at ensuring residents, barangays, and schools fully understand the rules before penalties are imposed.
Mayor Nestor Archival announced that the Cebu City Government will roll out an intensive information dissemination drive on the Waste Segregation Program from January 1 to 15, 2026, as part of renewed efforts to strengthen solid waste management across all barangays.
The plan was approved during a recent meeting of the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB).
“From January 1 to January 15, we will really push for information dissemination, even going on radio as part of our drive,” Archival said.
Under the program, the city will intensify public education on proper waste segregation, with particular focus on public schools, which officials consider key drivers of behavioral change at the household level.
Archival said the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO), together with two members of the Management Improvement Program (MIP), will visit all 115 public schools in the city from January 5 to 10, 2026.
The teams will conduct orientations on the waste segregation program and assess compliance among schools.
The mayor also announced plans to meet with school heads next month to formally brief them on the citywide implementation.
“Schools have a very big impact. If we properly educate the children, they can even correct their parents at home,” Archival said.
During the meeting, Cabrera suggested that barangays take charge of collecting segregated waste from schools.
However, the mayor emphasized the need to deploy dedicated trucks specifically for waste collection from educational institutions to ensure consistency and efficiency.
Following the information campaign, the city will begin enforcement from January 16 to 30, 2026.
Archival directed Barangay Enforcement Officers (BEOs) to apprehend violators and issue citation tickets as a warning to residents and establishments that fail to comply with waste segregation rules.
He also ordered BEOs to submit regular enforcement reports from their respective barangays.
On the same day as the SWMB meeting, Archival convened barangay councilors from the city’s 80 barangays to formally announce the enforcement phase.
He stressed that garbage would no longer be collected if it is not properly segregated at source, in line with existing ordinances.
SWMB member Emma Ramas underscored the crucial role of barangays in the program’s success.
“We prepared detailed guidelines to be disseminated to the barangays, including the different waste categories we need to ensure. We engaged our stakeholders—barangay officials, barangay leaders, recyclers, and partners—for this particular endeavor,” Ramas said during her presentation.
City officials said sustained coordination with barangays, recyclers, and waste collectors will be critical, particularly once stricter enforcement begins.
Cebu City’s waste segregation policy is anchored on Ordinance No. 2031, passed in 2004, which mandates waste segregation at source and institutionalizes the “No Segregation, No Collection” policy.
Despite the ordinance, enforcement over the years has been uneven, contributing to improper waste disposal and persistent garbage problems in the city.
Previous administrations and the City Council have made several attempts to strengthen compliance, including proposals to impose stiffer penalties on violators.
Under existing rules, households and establishments are required to sort waste into biodegradable, non-biodegradable, recyclable, hazardous, and bulky categories.
Violators may face fines ranging from P1,000 to P5,000 and/or up to six months’ imprisonment for repeated offenses, with community service offered as an alternative to paying fines. Officers of non-compliant corporations and business establishments may also be held personally liable.
Archival earlier welcomed the SWMB’s recommendation for gradual enforcement starting in 2026 but stressed that public education must come first.
“Ang ato lang, kinahanglan ma-inform ang public,” he said. (LLP)
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