By Von Andrei E. Villamiel
When a wall of trash gave way in cebu city bdrain Landfill this month, killDozens of employees are involved Memories of the disaster in the Philippines become fresh promised never to do Repeat.
At dawn on July 10, 2000, a huge mound of garbage collapsed at the Payatas dumpsite in Quezon City after several days of heavy rain. Houses were buried, fires broke out, and more than 200 people died.
The tragedy prompted criticism at the national level and exactly 25 years ago the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act was passed, which banned open dumps and ordered local governments to move to safe disposal systems.
But the Binaliv collapse shows that the country's waste system is vulnerable to the same failures of design, oversight and enforcement that led to the Payatas tragedy.
On January 8, a huge pile of garbage – estimated to be as high as a 20-story building according to local officials – slammed into a landfill in the village of Binliv, crushing a materials recovery facility and trapping workers under several tons of debris.
After a 10-day search operation, the Cebu City government confirmed 37 deaths, including one rescue worker who later died of septic shock.
City ofFOfficials cited prolonged rains, water-logged waste and structural weaknesses as factors behind the collapse. Environmental advocates and local lawmakers say these explanations point to a deeper issue: a landfill system that exists largely on paper.
Binlive is operated by Prime Waste Solutions, Inc. Prime Infra Capital, Inc. is a unit of. It is listed as a sanitary landfill regulated by the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), one of 375 operating across the country. It serves the city of Cebu as well as the neighboring cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, receiving approximately 573 metric tons of garbage per day.
'Like a 20 storey building'
Cebu City Councilor Joel C. GarrGanera, who is the head of the countryEnvironment Committee of CIL, Said facility functions like an open dumpsite.
“This is not a typical landfill where you dig the ground, put a liner and stop when the waste reaches the surface or slightly above,” Mr Garganera explained. businessworld. “What happened in Binaliev was that garbage started piling up “Up like a 20-story building.”
The trash was piled high, relying on a hill for support. He said the site was cut into a slope, and waste was piled in front of it rather than placed underground. That design, combined with poor drainage, made the landfill prone to saturation and collapse.
“It's an open trash can, and it's like a sponge that absorbs water,” he said. “Even mountains made of rocks have landslides. What more so than a mountain made of garbage.”
Regulators had flagged issues at the site years before the collapse. In 2019, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Central Visayas issued a violation notice to the former operator of the landfill for improper management and missing monitoring reports. Prime Waste Solutions took over operations in 2023 and promised upgrades including an automated recovery facility.
Complaints continued. Residents of nearby Consolación raised concerns about water quality, and suspected that the groundwater was being polluted by leachate.
According to local media reports, in August last year, the Solid Waste Management Board of Cebu City said the landfill violated waste law by allowing untreated disposal. No fine was imposed at that time.
Operations were halted only after the January 8 accident, when the EMB issued a cease-and-desist order following an inspection.
Prime Waste Solutions did not respond to requests for comment.
inspection interval
For environmental groups, Binleev highlights how weak monitoring has weakened legislation designed to prevent such disasters.
Ochi L., a zero-waste campaigner for the EcoWaste Coalition. “The policy is in place, including how the landfill should be operated,” Tolentino said. businessworld By telephone in mixed English and Filipino. “However, the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) is lacking in terms of monitoring these waste facilities.”
Under the Solid Waste Management Act, landfill operators must submit regular reports to regulators, while the DENR is tasked with monitoring. Ms Tolentino said paperwork alone could not address risks on the ground.
“How can regulators verify these reports if there have been no actual site inspections?” he asked.
Similar incidents have occurred since Payatas. In 2011, at least eight people died when garbage fell into garbage bins in Baguio City and Olongapo after heavy rains. Yet the operation of the open dump continues.
As of 2021, the EMB reported that about 230 open bins remained active across the country, while officials said hundreds had been closed.
In a statement on Monday, the Environment Department said it had formed an investigative body including representatives from third parties to investigate the Binliv incident.
The agency also ordered nationwide inspections of all operating sanitary landfills and directed its regional offices to obtain environmental compliance certificates and enforce safety protocols.
“We are moving forward to ensure that facilities across the country adhere to the highest standards of safety and environmental protection,” Environment Secretary Rafael PM Lotila said.
Pressure on landfills is increasing. According to NSWMC data, the Philippines is projected to generate about 60,700 metric tons of waste a day in 2025. As cities expand and consumption increases, this figure is projected to exceed 63,500 tonnes per day by 2030.
Much of that waste still gets buried. Based on data from the World Bank and DENR, less than 10% of plastic waste is recycled, while about one-fifth leaks into waterways and the ocean.
Marian Francis T. Ledesma, a zero-waste campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, said the system focuses on disposal rather than prevention.
“The Philippines is facing a waste crisis, with the amount of waste increasing and the impact worsening,” he said in an e-mailed response to questions. “Our waste management system fails to address the problem at its source.”
Local governments are required by law to reduce waste through separation, recycling, and composting. Nearly half of the country's waste stream consists of organic material, yet its disposal is limited.
Ms Ledesma said poor segregation makes landfill instability worse. Organic waste increases moisture, while plastic reduces density, increasing the risk of landslides during heavy rains.
Plans without practice
Local governments must submit 10-year waste management plans. Data from the NSWMC website shows that about 60% of municipalities had approved the plans, although council members say the rate is above 80% according to recent figures.
“Making a waste management plan is one thing, but implementation is another,” Ms. Tolentino said. “Waste diversion should be closely monitored at the local government level to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.”
Without cutting at the source, landfills absorb the stress. In places like Binliv, that tension turned deadly.
For the survivors of Paytas, the parallels are obvious.
Leonora Dolores, who lived near the Quezon City dumpsite when it collapsed, said the sound of garbage coming down the path is something she will never forget. Two decades later, he said the lessons had not been learned.
“If the risks are already known, action should be taken before people die,” she said.
The Binaliev tragedy has reopened questions that have faced the country since 2000: whether waste regulations are enforced, whether landfills are built as designed and whether monitoring keeps pace with increasing volumes.
Environmental groups say that unless those shortcomings are addressed, disasters like Payatas and Binaliv will remain a recurring risk rather than a closed chapter.