Journal of Environmental Science and Management 15(2): 74-82 (December 2012)ISSN 0119-1144

Institutional Arrangements for Solid Waste Management in Cebu City, PhilippinesRico C. Ancog1, Nestor D. Archival2 and Carmelita M. Rebancos3

ABSTRACT

The formulated solid waste management strategies in the highly urbanized Cebu City in Central Philippines was set to directly target identified waste concerns to fully maximize limited resources. Based on Friedman test conducted to evaluate differences of the solid waste generation in years 2007-2009, no statistically significant reduction effects of the prior solid waste ordinances and strategies implemented in 1990 and 2004 was found (p-value=0.431 < =5%). It was realized that programs implemented must provide economic incentives to fully impress upon constituents that waste is a resource. A coordinated enforcement scheme through the formation of the Cebu Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (CESET) of the city government in partnership with the community and civil society and along with the creation of special environmental courts have resulted for the enforcement measures to take effect. Forging strategic partnerships arrangements with both local and international groups to help advance city waste management was deemed important particularly on the aspects solid waste management capability trainings, landfill facility improvement, waste to energy project implementation as well as on the procurement of waste management equipments. In a decentralized environmental management common among many developing countries, harnessing various institutional arrangements to enhance participation and cooperation among stakeholders could be found useful to enhance local government units capacity to provide basic public services while also achieving environmental targets.

Key words: institutional arrangements, solid waste management, Cebu City

INTRODUCTION

The type of institutions present in a local government unit and the various arrangements between and among them Critical to the realization of a sustainable solid waste management program. Institutions refer to conventions, norms and legal rules of a society that provide expectations, stability and meaning essential for coordination that in turn regularize life, support values and protect and produce interests (Vatn 2005). Hagedorn (2002) related that institutional arrangements geared toward co-ordination would arise depending on the features and implications of transactions related to nature and the ecosystem. Applied in the context of the local commons, Ostrom (1990) explained that institutional arrangement is essentially both the formal and informal rules influencing human behavior and could be categorized into three levels such as operational rules, collective choice rules, and constitutional choice rules. While operational and collective choice rules pertain to day to day rules made by resource users, and the rules used by users and external agents, respectively; constitutional choice rules determine eligibility to participate in the system and in setting rules for collective choice rules (Ostrom 1990).

Various institutional approaches for various facets of solid waste management could be employed to ensure sustainability. Solid waste management includes collection, transfer, recycling and disposal of solid wastes (Cointreau-Levine 1994; Ogu 2000). Institutional arrangements specific to solid waste management in a local government unit could be between and among key actors that include the local

government, the community, and the private sector, which could generally be categorized to fall under legal, regulatory and financing components (Figure 1).

The challenges of effective solid waste management are exacerbated with the growing urbanization (Ahmed and Ali 2004). Now with the decentralization of the management of environmental resources to local government units in the Philippines, the need for innovative approaches is pressing given some financial resources limitations. However, with the enactment of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) that sets the guidelines on solid waste avoidance and volume reduction, local government units remain uncertain particularly with regard to enforcement and financing of solid waste management program (Sumalde 2003).

This paper aimed to present the specific case of Cebu City in its efforts to address the waste issues and concerns at all levels. Cebu City is a leading city in the Philippines attributed largely to being the gateway to central and southern parts of the country and having gained the prestige of being a top tourist destination in Southeast Asia. With its rich natural endowments coupled with its colorful historical background, it has achieved and maintained a vibrant economy resulting it to be recognized as a highly urbanized city in the Philippines. The city, however, is confronted with soaring population that aggravates the generation of solid wastes, thus, posing a challenge on its management.

1 Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management, University of the Philippines Los Baos, College, Laguna 4031. E-mail: rcangcog@yahoo.com.ph (corresponding author)

2 City Councilor, City of Cebu, Cebu City 60003 Professor, School of Environmental Science and Management, UPLB

74

Faced with the existing solid waste management issues and concerns, Cebu City Government has worked its way one step at a time. For the past years, several initiatives have been implemented in line with the long-term solid waste management program. As a guiding principle, solid waste management is considered as a multi-sectoral engagement involving innovative and partnership strategies. More importantly, the Cebu City government sees the need to redirect its constituents to believe that solid wastes could exist only when people lose sight of its value. This study provides a background on Cebu City, its garbage profile, institutional arrangements and the initiatives undertaken to implement an integrated solid waste management. These initiatives range from policy formulation to information, education campaigns and the implementation of vermi-composting and trash-to-cash projects among several others.

METHODOLOGY

The analysis of the institutional arrangements for solid waste management in Cebu City focused mainly on three aspects namely legal, regulatory and financing mechanisms (Figure 1). Institutional arrangements related to the legal aspect focused on assessment of historical sequence and coverage of solid waste management-related Cebu City ordinances and legislations from 1990-2010. Both the regulatory and financing arrangements were analyzed through intensive review of secondary data on the volume, collection schemes, garbage fees and monitoring taken from Cebu Citys Department of Public Services (DPS) and Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET). Interview of some members of Cebu City Council and department heads of the city government

of Cebu were also conducted to enrich the analysis.

Friedman Test was employed to analyze the reduction effects of implemented solid waste management ordinances of the Cebu City Council which were passed during 1990 and 2004. The three-year (2007-2009) daily to monthly data on Cebu City total solid waste (in tons) were used as the study data set. Ho: The policy implementation has no effect on the reduction of solid waste. Ha: The policy implementation has an effect on the reduction of solid waste. Rule: reject Ho if p-value is less than alpha=5%. SPSS ver 13.0 was used to run the data analysis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Cebu City Solid Waste Profile

Location and Population. Cebu City is situated in the central eastern part of the Cebu island-province. It is bounded in the north by Mandaue City; in the south by Talisay City; in the east by the Mactan Channel; and by the municipalities of Balamban and Toledo in the west. It is comprised of 80 barangays, 30 of which are categorized as urban and 50 as rural barangays. Urban area shares 24% of the citys total land area (78.09 km2) while the rural area shares 76% (248.01 km2). In terms of topography, the coastal areas accounting to about 15% of the city have a relatively flat terrain while 85% has elevations ranging from 40 to 400 m above sea level.

As of 2010, Cebu City has a population of 866,171 but it rises to over a million during daytime due to the influx of the working force in the city, and with a population growth rate at 3%. On the average, the city has a population density of 2,204 persons m-2. There are a total of 161,151 households in Cebu City having an average of five (5) members per household (NSO 2010).

Waste Characteristics and Major Generators. Using the available 3-year data from Cebu City Governments Department of Public Services on solid waste weighed at the Citys Inayawan Landfill Site prior to final disposal, Cebu City produced about 96,980.42, 107,192.08 and 106,387.53 t for 2007, 2008 and 2009, respectively (Figure 2). Specifically in 2007, the National Solid Waste Commission ranks Cebu City as ninth among the top ten city waste generators in the Philippines with a recorded waste generation ranging from 300 to 500 t of t day-1 or an estimated of 0.40 kg capita day-1.

The solid wastes in Cebu City are generated by various sectors such as the households that accounts to about 40%, commercial establishments 25%, public markets 20%, school and hospitals 10% and industries 5%. Almost 60% of wastes disposed in the Sanitary Landfill are biodegradable, 25 % are recyclables and 15% are hazardous and special wastes including mixed residuals (Figure 3).

75Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

Figure 1. Major stakeholders in solid waste management of a local government unit and typologies of

institutional arrangements.

76 Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

2007

2008

2009

Tota

l Sol

id W

aste

(in

kg)

Quarter of a year

Currently, the Cebu City Government is equipped with 20 open dump trucks, four garbage compactors, three multi-lifts, 15 tricycle collectors and three pay loaders. Despite the number of equipments, the city needs to address the solid wastes collection in areas where trucks are unable to pass. This was partially solved as Cebu City Governments Department of Public Services modified the trisikads. These trisikads were impounded units and were unclaimed for years, which were used to service collection of solid wastes in congested areas (Figure 4).

Garbage collection operates 24 hours in three shifts collected by city government garbage trucks and complemented by the barangay trucks. Three collection schemes have been implemented, namely: The communal method where a common waste receptacles

are strategically located in public places. The city garbage collectors then collect the accumulated wastes. This method has been found to be effective in the public markets of Cebu City.

Household collection is done with the scheduled garbage trucks roving to different households in different barangays in Cebu City.

The above-mentioned schemes were supplemented with the initiatives of the various commercial establishments such as big malls that provide material recovery facility centers where solid wastes from different barangays could be sold by the constituents.

Waste Disposal Facility. The Cebu City Sanitary Landfill Facility is located in Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City and is commonly called as the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill (ISL). It was constructed on September 11, 1998 with a total area of 11 hectares and was estimated to have a life span until 2005. The continued usage of the ISL has stretched its operations to the limit as finding an alternative site has become a major challenge until its final closure last March 2012. The current disposal site is now in Consolacion, an adjacent municipality of Cebu City.

Garbage Fee. Cebu City has currently implemented minimal fees that are incorporated in the Real Estate and Business Taxes. In effect, the Cebu City has been for years subsidizing the cost of waste collection, transport and disposal amounting to about 47 million pesos for the year (2007-2010). This amount does not include the costs of supervision, fuel, lubricants and aid to the different barangays. National and Local Policies on Solid Waste Management

National Policy Framework. The Republic Act 9003 also known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act 2000 of the Philippines governs the Ecological Solid Waste Management Program of the entire country. The law sets the guidelines on proper solid waste management among local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines and aims to protect the public health, ensures environmental sustainability and economic efficiency. It mandates the creation of the Solid Waste Management Commission (SWMC) that oversees the implementation of the Act at all levels of the government. At the national level, the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC) oversees that the law is implemented and also monitors the submission and the approval of the different LGUs Solid Waste Management Plans (SWMPs). In the same provision,

Figure 2. Total solid wastes generated in Cebu City, per quarter, from 2007-2009.

Figure 3. Cebu City waste characteristics, 2007-2010. Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET)

and Department of Public Services.

Figure 4. Bicarts, an innovative means of collecting wastes in Cebu City.

Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

77Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

it requires the formation of the Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) at all LGUs down to the smallest unit which is the barangay that has the primary role of implementing programs, policies and law enforcement.

Local Policies and Institutional Arrangements of Cebu City Government. The solid waste management and enforcement system in Cebu City has been largely dependent on the proactive legislative measures that are already in placed along with the unique leadership structure of the Cebu City Government. Several ordinances related to solid waste management has been passed already as enumerated as follows.

a. Cebu City Ordinance 2017, October 6, 2004. An ordinance creating the Cebu City SWMB that develops the Cebu City SWMP. The SWMB shall ensure the long-term management of solid waste, as well as integrate the various solid waste management plans and strategies of the Citys barangays. The development of the SWMP was done by conducting consultations with the various sectors of the community. The Board was also mandated to adopt measures to promote and ensure the viability and effective implementation of the SWMP in its component barangays. In addition, the SWMP shall monitor the implementation of the Cebu City SWMP and forge cooperation with the private sector and the non-government organizations (NGOs). Furthermore, the Board was tasked to adopt specific revenue-generating measures to promote the viability of the Solid Waste Management Plan. Up to present, the Board convenes every Friday of the week.

b. Cebu City Ordinance 2031, November 10 2004. An ordinance for the implementation of solid waste segregation at source with penalties for violations and the creation of the special fund for incentives. Highlight to this ordinance is Article 8 which stresses on the monitoring and enforcement component, which is lodged with the Monitoring/Enforcement Unit of the Cebu City SWMB. Article 8 Section 9. 2 indicates that the barangay officials, designated barangay residents, academic institutions, civic groups, peoples organizations (POs), non-government organizations (NGOs) and representatives from the private sector were deputized by the Mayor to apprehend any person or entity caught violating any provision hereof. The deputized enforcers who were recommended by their respective organizations, groups, or units underwent trainings on solid waste management, law enforcement, and courteous manner of apprehending violators as requirements before they are sent out to the field. This group is now known as the Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

c. Cebu City Ordinance 1361, February 5, 1990. An ordinance which mandates the establishment of garbage collection system along with the necessary imposition of fees. This ordinance clearly spells out prohibited acts that every

citizen must follow such as littering, spitting, urinating, and burning of plastic wastes among others. Through this ordinance, business establishments located in the main thoroughfares were required to maintain cleanliness of at least five meters from their respective buildings. It was earlier envisioned that once this measure will be fully put in place, the need for more street sweepers paid for by the government would decrease. However, the full implementation of this ordinance, which was passed about 11 years ahead than the RA 9003, has not been achieved given the difficulty in enforcement.

The above ordinances have been made possible largely due to the existing set-up resulting to effective coherence and alignment of the legislative and executive branches of the Cebu City government. Any local government unit in the Philippines has both executive and legislative powers where the City Mayor holding the executive power while the legislative body is composed of the Vice Mayor and Councilors which is primarily responsible for crafting ordinances. Every councilor is tasked to handle a certain committee where he/she can primarily focus his/her policy formulation. In the case of Cebu City, however, Councilors were as well given with a quasi-executive function to implement program aligned to the measures he/she has legislated. This institutional arrangement has been found unique among other cities in the Philippines and the city of Cebu has taken full advantage of this institutional arrangement to execute any measures and possibly amend it in an easier way if some difficulties with regards to its implementation are found.

Other than the economic-related measures that have been implemented in Cebu City, an effective and innovative enforcement measure was put in placed through the creation of Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET). As a result, enforcement of the solid waste management ordinances is regularly in operations now. It is composed of volunteers from the community and civil society groups, which has undergone trainings on different sanitation and environmental laws including how to apprehend violators. Serving as an enforcement arm of the city, the team has been deputized by the City Mayor to issue citation tickets to ordinance violators which has totaled to about 33,968 already starting from the start of its implementation to March 2008 generating to about PhP 1.5 million.

It is the CESET volunteers who carry on with the implementation of ordinances both generating livelihood for them and generating revenues for the city government. Penalties for violators as stipulated in the ordinance are described as: Criminal persecution means that any person found guilty

of violating Ordinance 2031 shall be punished by a fine of not less than one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) but not

78 Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

more than five thousand pesos only (P5,000.00) or by imprisonment of not less than one (1) month to not more than six(6) months, or both fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court. If the violation is committed by a juridical person, the manager or person-in-charge shall be held liable.

Compromise Fee If the violator opts to settle the liabilities for such violation by paying out-of-court compromise fee, the City Mayor or his duly authorized representative may approve the application made by the violator with the caveat on the violator not to violate again any provision of this ordinance; Provided further, that the compromise fee which the violator shall pay out of court shall be in the amount of Five Hundred Pesos (P500.00) only. Any violator who shall have paid a compromise fee and commits a second violation shall no longer be qualified for an out-of-court compromise fee.

Community Service If the violator cannot pay the compromise fee, the person must render community service of one (1) day to fifteen (15) days at any barangay as determined by the Monitoring/Enforcement Unit of the Cebu City Solid Waste Management Board. It was observed that the number of cases starting from the implementation of the CESET enforcement program up to the present hasbeen gradually decreasing which would mean that people are becoming conscious and aware regarding the city waste enforcement program. In addition, the accumulated fine is subject to the following: Fifty-percent (50%) of collected compromise fees

from a barangay shall proceed to the city treasury. Thirty percent (30%) of collected compromise fees

from a barangay shall go to the same barangay

where apprehension have been made; Twenty percent (20%) of collected compromise from a

violator shall go to the apprehending person. The City Government awards the incentives to the barangays and the apprehending persons on a semi-monthly basis.

In addition, to test whether above-mentioned policies implemented as early as 1990s and in 2004 had reduction effects on solid wastes generation in Cebu City, Friedman Rank Sum Test was conducted comparing 2007, 2008 and 2009 total solid waste data weighed prior to final disposal at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill. The computed p-value=0.431 is lower than alpha=5% suggesting that the implementation of such policies had no statistically significant effect on the reduction of solid wastes for the year 2007-2009 (Table 1). This result, however, could not strictly mean that such ordinances in Cebu City were totally ineffective. Rather, possible additional support for full implementation and the likely scaling-up of the solid waste management projects may lead to better results.

Strategies and Programs Implemented in Cebu City

Review of Existing Programs and Policies. In year 2004, a review on how Cebu City manages its solid wastes was called for by the City Mayor to assess its effectiveness, identify problems and formulate new approaches and strategies relevant to prevailing conditions. The solid waste management program in Cebu City was not able to take-off due to the following reasons: Non-participation of the constituents. Misconceptions

mostly from the sector of the urban dwellers that the

Table 1. Descriptive and Friedman Test Statistics of Cebu City solid wastes, 2007-2009.

Descriptive StatisticsN Mean

(in kilos)Std.

DeviationMinimum(in kilos)

Maximum(in kilos)

Percentiles25th 50th (Median) 75th

2007 44 149421.90 118472.54 21250.83 618220.58 63836.52 122471.75 187062.102008 44 164963.80 141545.34 36051.00 785498.36 71175.30 141160.21 201719.142009 44 161095.62 127640.80 19490.00 701415.42 64269.58 128001.45 217735.20Ranks

Mean Rank2007 1.842008 2.072009 2.09Test StatisticsN 44Chi-Square 1.682df 2Asymp. Sig. .431

Note: Ho: The policy implementation has no effect on the reduction of solid waste Ha: The policy implementation has effect on the reduction of solid waste. Rule: reject Ho if p-value < alpha=5%

79Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

citys waste is the responsibility of the government. The ISL was at its ultimate closure. Cebu City landfill site

has already reached more than its life span of seven years. Lack of political will. Officials largely responsible for the

implementation of the mandates of the law especially in apprehending ordinance violators are reluctant in doing so as it is perceived to affect their political careers.

Limited financial capacity and technological capability. These result in accumulation of solid waste in the streets since the schedule of wastes collection was not followed.

Typologies of SWM Strategies Implemented in Cebu City. In response to the results of the review, the Cebu City government has developed programs and strategies in order to improve its solid waste management initiatives. These strategies included Information and Education Campaign, Cash from Trash Project and Trash to Products Initiative, enforcement activities through the CESET and local and international outsourcing strategies in implementing solid waste management programs.

Information, and Education Campaigns (IEC). The Cebu City Government has recognized that the success of the solid waste management program largely depended on the heightened level of awareness among its constituents to ensure their active participation. This was done through the implementation of various information and education campaigns aimed at making the people understand and the need to comply with the laws and ordinances as its main objective. The City government served as the main initiator to start these education campaigns, which target the different sectors of the city.

The sectoral approach of the implementation of the IEC activities was seen to be effective as each sector shares the same waste stream. Each sector prepared IEC activities that were appropriate to their respective needs and situations. Overall, IEC was implemented by involving national, regional and local media networks. To fully implement this, Cebu City government maximizes all channels spanning from one-on-one communication in dealing with the enforcer and the violator to interpersonal communication like group channels e.g. meetings, discussions, demo-lectures, fora and seminars.

The IEC activities in the community were complemented with programs at school which are basically aimed at increasing the level of awareness and participation among students. At the elementary and public high school levels, students were asked to bring recyclables to school where it could be sold and their earnings will serve as their daily allowance. Moreover, it was emphasized to them that other than earning money from wastes, they could become active participants in conserving the environment.

Waste as a Resource Strategy. The implemented solid waste management program in Cebu City was guided with the need to let its constituents realize that wastes have value. This was done by highlighting economic incentives from the wastes generated and in emphasizing that wastes were resources that were largely untapped. In line with this thinking were the various implemented programs specific to the types of wastes generated. For the recyclables, Cash from Trash and Trash to Products strategies were implemented while various composting strategies were implemented for the biodegradable wastes. In terms of the recyclable non-biodegradable wastes, barangay-based waste segregation activities were conducted in eight pilot urban barangays of Cebu City. The first phase is in addressing the recycling of non-biodegradables, which accounted for about 25% of the total waste generated in Cebu City daily, since this was found to be the easiest to manage. Each of these programs is discussed below.

Kwarta sa Basura (Cash from Trash) Program. At the barangay level, government officials organized the womens organizations to conduct a Buying day for the recyclables. These womens organizations were the prime movers of the Cash from Trash program. Every week, they gather edthe recyclables and brought them to the collection site for sale. Every barangay was assigned with a buyer of recyclable materials which was given with seed money by the Cebu City Government. Eventually, these women organizations were now turned into cooperatives. Crucial to such strategy was a strong womens group led also by strong barangay officials that in turn sustained the initiatives at the barangay level.

The partnerships built on this strategy were that of the recyclers, the junkshop owners, and the local government units. Starting 2007, there were about eight barangays implementing the Cash from Trash programs, which was expected to have been replicated to the other barangays of Cebu City as well.

Since 2006-2007, the two big malls of Cebu City, namely SM City Cebu and the Ayala Mall have created their Waste Market programs. With the comprehensive IEC of the City, big establishments were asked to come up with programs in line with the solid waste management program of the city. As a response these malls have partnered with the local barangay units to contribute to recycling as their form of corporate social responsibility.

Trash to Products Strategy. Turning trash to products was another strategy implemented by womens organizations that is participated mostly by housewives. Various accredited NGOs in the city government were requested to implement programs that will contribute to waste reduction while providing alternative sources of income. These organizations

Figure 5. Products from Trash Initiatives of some groups in Cebu City.

Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

were provided with financial grants to implement their programs after accreditation. Waste products like laminates were turned into durable bags, slippers and wallets, which were then sold in the markets (Figure 5).

Composting Programs. In order to avert the volume of organic wastes being disposed to the sanitary landfill, composting programs has been implemented. This was realized through outsourcing strategies from local and international partners.

Vermicomposting. As early as 2007, the Cebu City Government has tapped the San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which facilitated the implementation of the training of trainors (TOT) on vermicomposting technology for the Cebu City Government and selected barangay personnel. The said program was part of its program on corporate social responsibility projects. Aside from engaging in agricultural crop production, SMC also saw vermicomposting as a promotional activity for the company. Participants of the TOT then became trainors who were later asked

to echo their learning in their respective barangays. Thus, the vermicomposting program in Cebu City took off. However, a more detailed analysis on the impacts of the project since it was first implemented and the current status of this program was needed.

Cebu City established its vermicomposting project in the City Agriculture Department and at the Parks and Playgrounds Division, which serve as demonstration facilities for the different barangays of Cebu City (Figure 6). The City Government through its volunteers in the CESET conducted lecture-demonstrations on vermicomposting. As of 2007, about eight barangays have been conducting vermicomposting programs and was expected to have increased up to present. This strategy on biodegradables was used as a waste reduction and waste diversion mechanism as buying compost could be cheaper than the commercial fertilizers. The City Government had appropriated budget in buying the produced compost fertilizers at PhP 5.00/kilo that were utilized for the parks and playgrounds of Cebu City. Since about 60% of the solid wastes of Cebu City were dumped at the landfill site, vermicomposting was instrumental in prolonging the life span of the landfill.

Outsourcing Strategies. With the limited financial capacityand technological capability, Cebu City involved the necessary environmental linkage and networking among different groups and institutions from both local and international groups which found to have the same agenda and concern to that of the Cebu City. Through the years, the Cebu City government has forged collaborations necessary to advance its city waste management. Highlights of these outsourcing strategies are the following, namely:

Local Outsourcing Strategies

Information, Communication, Education Initiatives. Local universities such as the Southwestern University, University of Cebu and St. Theresa College have implemented initiatives on having in-house solid waste management program that

80 Solid Waste Management in Cebu City

Figure 6.Vermicomposting project in the Cebu City Nursery. Source: Cebu Environmental Sanitation and Enforcement Team (CESET).

81Journal of Environmental Science and Management Vol. 15 No. 2 (December 2012)

includes IECs among its students. Worth mentioning were the efforts of the St. Theresa College to implement a school-wide solid waste management program particularly in integrating environmental concerns in its curriculum and instruction.

Lihok Filipina, a network of Filipino women, implemented information campaigns and education program in Cebu City related to solid waste management program at the household level. They organized and enjoined housewives to participate in a Waste to Product programs that produced homemade crafts that are sold in the market. On the other hand, the Alyansa sa mga Lumulupyong Kabus Alang sa Pagpalambo (ALCAP) or Alliance of the Urban Poor for Development, a peoples organization participated in by the wives of the Cebu port workers also engaged their free time into producing and selling paper products to generate additional income for the family.

Biogas Digester Project. The University of San Carlos along with its Affiliated Non-Conventional Energy Center (USC-ANEC) provided the technical expertise on the Biogas Digester project that was implemented with funds from the Cebu City Government. The project aimed to process the waste from the Cebu City Abattoir into methane gas. The technical expertise of the University was provided for free as this has become an their extension activity. USCs technical assistance was further availed for the implementation of the Cebu City Clean Air Project funded by USAID that has been underway.

Waste Market Initiatives. The Ayala Mall has organized the Cebu Business Park and Neighboring Barangays Altruistic Alliance Inc. (CBPNBAAI) to enjoin all tenants and the surrounding barangays in implementing a recycling program. Ayala Mall tenants sold their recyclables so that it could be bought and reused by other potential buyers. Likewise, the SM City Cebu scheduled every Saturday of the week as Waste Market day where Cebu barangay residents could bring in their recyclables also to be sold to other interested buyers.

International Outsourcing Strategies

International outsourcing program of Cebu City was forged through the assistance of the United Nations Environment and Social Commission for the Asia and Pacific. Cebu Citys Committee on Foreign Relations tapped several Consular Offices in Cebu City to identify local government units in their respective country that can possibly aid Cebu City in implementing effective solid waste management program. This has led to the establishment of sister city linkages that were found to be very important in coming up with environmental network of Cebu City. Among many sister city pacts entered into by the Cebu City include Fort Collins, Collarado; Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands and Kitakyushu City, Japan. Each of these cities has implemented

various waste management programs on their respective localities thus were initially tapped to help Cebu City in implementing every aspect of its solid waste management programs.

Training on Capability Building. Personnel and officials who wre primarily involved in the environmental sanitation and solid waste management concerns have been continuously sent for trainings both in local and international organizations. In 2000, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, a sister city of Cebu, was instrumental in the drafting of the citys solid waste management framework as well as in extending technical assistance to enhance capability of the local officials with regards to solid waste management. In addition, a four-man team from the Cebu City-Department of Public Services was sent to attend a three-week Solid Waste Management Training in Hoofddorp Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands in 2002. It was followed with another team later sent on November 2003. These capability trainings were instrumental in ensuring that key personnel in solid waste management in Cebu City benchmarked their activities with other cities abroad.

Sanitary Landfill Facility Projects. Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, another sister city of Cebu, assisted the organized waste scavengers at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill to engage in composting as their alternative source of income once the sanitary landfill after its eventual closure last March 2012. Financial support amounting to PhP 480,000.00 has given to Cebu City to cover incentives for the waste scavengers who were now engaged in composting program of the city government. In addition, a trash compactor for the sanitary landfill was provided to Cebu City. This was also instrumental in extending the life span of the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill.

Wastewater Treatment Facility Project. Kitakyushu City, Japan funded the Jokaso project which was a community-based waste water treatment facility. The implementation of this project was also instrumental in coming up of the Strategic Plan for addressing solid waste management issues for the Guadalupe River, a major river system in Cebu City. In addition, Takakura Home Method (THM) Composting has since been implemented in 2006 with the assistance of the Kitakyushu International Techno Cooperative Association to process domestic solid waste into compost by using lactic acid bacteria.

The implementation of the Cebu Common Treatment Facility, Inc (CCTFI) was one case that showed how partnership among the business sector, city government and a funding agency could be pooled together to implement an important environmental project for the benefit of all. As experienced, several business establishments in Cebu City, primarily the metal finishing industry, were continuously faced with the problem of disposing its toxic wastewater

while others have the difficulty of implementing in-house wastewater treatment facility due to the cost it entails. As a group, they have signified their concern through the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) to the Cebu City Government. After a series of collaborative meetings, the Cebu City Government entered into a Bilateral Agreement for Technical Cooperation in 1991 with the Federal Republic of Germany through the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ). This joint venture has resulted to the establishment of the Cebu Common Treatment Facility, Inc. (CCTFI) which was primarily managed by the CCCI after being granted with the treatment equipments from the German Government and its lot being provided by the Cebu City government. Since 2007, CCTFI was an ISO 14001 certified wastewater treatment facility and has been offering a comprehensive hazardous waste and wastewater treatment and disposal services that have been found to be more economical than requiring each business establishment to build their own treatment facility.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

As in the case of Cebu City, the most important key for the solid waste management program to be successful is the necessary community involvement that is achieved when implemented programs provide economic incentives coupled with a rigid enforcement scheme to ensure a sustained city waste management program. Full participation across different sector of the society such as the businesses, non-governmental organizations, barangay councils, among others, must be tapped to ensure a comprehensive participation of the program. With limited financial and technological capability, partnership with both local and international groups to advance city waste management is indeed important. The different institutional arrangements provided in this study are not purely unique to Cebu City. However, the typologies of such arrangements between and among the different stakeholders including the support from within and outside of Cebu City provided a good mix of strategies necessary for a complex solid waste management in a context of highly-urbanized local government unit.

The remaining challenge faced by Cebu City was how to ensure the continuity of the solid waste management program. This could be the groundwork to achieve a long-term goal of sustaining Cebu Citys solid waste management program, and should take off from vision to germination. These include the institutionalization of all environmental initiatives on solid waste management starting from policy formulation, program development and implementation, and enforcement strategies. With all these initiatives undertaken at hand, the role of the Cebu City Environmental and Natural Resources Office to coordinate with other departments of the Cebu City government particularly the Department of Public Services need to be clearly outlined in the Cebu Citys

Environmental Code to sustain its solid waste management activities in conjunction with other public services targets. More detailed analyses on the earnings of the households, the community and local in engaging to a number of solid waste management strategies through time is recommended to afford a long-term understanding of the impacts of the program.

REFERENCES

Ahmed, S.A. and M. Ali. 2004. Partnerships for Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries. Habitat International 28: 467-479

Cebu Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team. 2007-2009. Cebu City Waste Data. Cebu City Hall. Unpublished Report.

Cointreau-Levine, S. 1994. Private Sector Participation in Municipal Waste Services in Developing Countries, Vol 1: the Formal Sector. World Bank Urban Management Program Discussion Paper 13, Washington DC.

Congress of the Philippines. 2001. Republic Act No. 9003 Ecological solid waste management act of 2000. Manila.

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Hagedorn, K. 2002. Institutional Arrangements for Environmental Cooperatives: a Conceptual Framework. In Hagedorn K. (ed), Environmental Cooperation and Institutional Change: Theories and Policies for European Agriculture, New Horizons in Environmental Economics. Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA

National Solid Waste Management Commission. 2007. Top 15 city solid waste generators in the Philippines. Manila

Ogu, V. I. 2000. Private Sector Participation and Municipal Waste Management in Benin City, Nigeria. Environment and Urbanization 12: 103

Ostrom, E. 1990. Governing the Commons. Cambridge University Press

Sumalde, Z.M. 2005. Implementation and financing of solid waste management in the Philippines. Research Report No. 2005-RR1, Singapore: Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA). 60 pp.

Vatn, A. 2005. Rationality, Institutions and Environmental Policy. Ecological Economics, 55(2): 203-217

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Thanks to the various offices of the Cebu City Government for the data with the assistance of Dianne Rallon, Olani Marie N. Bongato, Ma. Kristina Oquinena and Gabrielle Keisha Pena.

82 Solid Waste Management in Cebu City