The city government of Davao has filed a Motion for Reconsideration before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 11 (DENR 11) following the suspension of waste disposal operations at the sanitary landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Tugbok District, while also reminding residents to practice proper waste segregation.
A tragic garbage slide occurred at the city’s sanitary landfill on May 20 after heavy rainfall, leaving one dead, two injured, and two still missing.
In a statement released Tuesday, City Information Office head Harvey Lanticse said the city government submitted the motion on May 26, citing the results of geotechnical assessments conducted at the site and the recommended corrective measures for the existing landfill facility.
“The City Government has temporarily suspended the utilization of the Barangay New Carmen Sanitary Landfill effective May 22, 2026, in compliance with the suspension order issued by DENR Region 11,” Lanticse said.
He added that the city will temporarily use a newly developed landfill facility adjacent to the existing site in Barangay New Carmen while regular garbage collection operations continue.
“As the CENRO continues to conduct garbage collection operations as scheduled, we remind the public to properly segregate their waste at home to help reduce landfill waste and facilitate recycling and recovery efforts,” he said.
DENR 11 Regional Executive Director Maria Mercedes Dumagan said the suspension was imposed to allow the local government unit to carry out slope stabilization measures and other corrective actions required under Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.
“The disposal of waste at the sanitary landfill is currently suspended by DENR 11 and EMB 11 to allow our LGU to implement slope stabilization measures, among other recommended actions, to comply with RA 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act and the conditions of their Environmental Compliance Certificate. In the meantime, let us place our trust in their plans and follow their directives to ensure public safety,” she added.
Dumagan also called on residents to help reduce waste volume by segregating garbage at home and practicing proper waste management.
“We strongly encourage all Dabawenyos to practice waste segregation at home and adopt proper waste management to reduce the volume of garbage collected by our LGU. This simple effort will be a big help and will significantly ease our waste collection challenges,” she said.
Meanwhile, Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said the city has been continuously coordinating with the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) regarding landfill operations and improvement measures.
He noted that engineering interventions had already been implemented before the recent landslide incident, although investigations are still ongoing to determine its exact cause.
“It was just unfortunate that the landslide occurred at the landfill. There are ongoing investigations to determine what really caused the incident,” he said.
Ocampo also disclosed that several foreign firms have expressed interest in supporting Davao City’s waste management initiatives, including waste-to-energy and methane recovery projects.
“We are still pushing for the waste-to-energy project. We are asking the help of the Japanese government because they are willing to help, but they are still waiting for the completion of studies to ensure the project can be properly implemented,” he said.
He added that a Korean firm is interested in extracting methane gas from the landfill, while a Malaysian-Singaporean company has proposed a “no sanitary landfill” waste management system aimed at maximizing waste utilization and reducing landfill dependence.
According to Ocampo, the city is also preparing a memorandum of understanding for a feasibility study to modernize its waste collection and landfill operations.
