Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said authorities are prioritizing the search for missing workers believed to have been trapped when a portion of the landfill operated by Prime Waste Solutions (PWS) in the mountain barangay of Binaliw gave way.
At the same time, he said the city must urgently address where to dispose of roughly 600 tons of garbage daily following the facility’s temporary closure.
Four possible sites
Archival said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had identified four possible sites that could accommodate the city’s garbage, including locations in Consolacion town to the north and Minglanilla town to the south.
He said the city is awaiting clearance from the DENR before appealing to the concerned local government units to temporarily accommodate Cebu City’s garbage for 15 days.
This is the period requested by Prime Waste Solutions (PWS) to set up a DENR-approved temporary recovery facility equipped with a safety net.
PWS also requested that vehicle traffic to Binaliw be regulated to facilitate the preparation of a temporary dumping site.
“We need to know where (we can dump the garbage) so we can compute the cost and give the information to the (Cebu City Disaster and Risk Reduction and Management Office for a recommendation,” said Archival.
Emergency waste measures
Councilor Joel Garganera, city council committee chair on environment, for his part, urged residents to refrain from taking out their trash and instead segregate waste at home, as garbage trucks were already full as of Thursday.
He also urged fast-food chains, malls, and other large establishments to hire private waste contractors to collect their garbage as a way of helping the city during the state of emergency.
“They cannot rely on the city government as of this time,” he added.
Tragedy struck at 4:17 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2026, when a portion of the landfill collapsed, with tons of garbage spilling into nearby structures, including facilities operated by PWS.
Rescue operations ongoing
According to the data from the Bureau of Fire Protection in Central Visayas, a female worker was confirmed dead while 12 others had been pulled out and brought to the hospitals for treatment.
More than 500 rescue workers and volunteers—composed of four teams -- were working to look for and rescue the 34 workers who were believed to have been trapped underneath the pile of trash.
Landfill worker Joey Gealon, 38, said the trapped workers were assigned to office, maintenance, and Materials Recovery Facility operations and were unable to escape because the landslide occurred suddenly and without warning.
In a statement, PWS said operations at the facility have been suspended and asked the public to refrain from going near the affected area.
“We will provide updates and share information as they become available,” the statement said. “The safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and neighboring communities remain our top priority.”
PWS said the company was working closely with relevant government agencies and the local government to provide the necessary assistance and support to all those affected by the incident.
Search complications
In the meantime, Archival said rescuers could not use cutting tools on the steel bars buried in the collapsed garbage because the sparks could trigger a fire or explosion in an area filled with methane gas.
Rescuers also could not use grinders, as flying debris could injure workers believed to be trapped underneath.
Archival said rescuers had managed to provide oxygen to some of the workers believed to be trapped beneath the debris.
Asked about the possible cause of the landslide, he said the landfill’s foundation may have been weakened by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu on Sept. 30, 2025, as well as heavy rains brought by Typhoon “Tino” on Nov. 3, 2025.
Archival said garbage was like a sponge which absorbed water during heavy rains, weakening the foundation.
However, Garganera said the tragedy in Binaliw was an accident waiting to happen, noting that the pile of garbage at the landfill had already reached the height of a 20-story building and resembled more of an open dumpsite.
He agreed with Archival that recent heavy rains may have softened the garbage—particularly at the base—causing the collapse.
“Landslides occur in mountains that are made of rocks and soil and have trees. What more a mountain made of garbage,” the councilor said.
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