Davao City is confronting a mounting waste crisis as daily collections near 800 tons, raising urgent questions about the sustainability of its sanitary landfill.
Environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) is advocating a circular economy model to reduce waste, extend resource life, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, positioning the approach as a practical alternative to the linear extract-consume-dispose paradigm.
Program coordinator Lemuel Manalo highlights that the Philippines remains among United Nations member states grappling with high waste generation, with landfills contributing significantly to emissions. Circular economy strategies, he notes, align with the UN Development Programme’s climate objectives by emphasizing resource reuse, recycling, and ecosystem regeneration rather than energy-intensive disposal. International support has introduced technologies and methodologies aimed at helping the country implement these practices effectively.
Local examples illustrate the model’s potential. The Toril Kalambuan Association, founded in 2011 by Elena Mabano, transforms plastics such as snack wrappers and detergent packs into bags, wallets, and accessories, simultaneously creating livelihoods and reducing environmental impact. Mabano stresses that despite low profits in early years and pandemic-related disruptions, the association now trains women, students, and children in sustainable production, highlighting how small-scale interventions can cumulatively reduce waste entering oceans and landfills.
Similarly, the Mintal Resource Collectors’ Association (MiRCA) demonstrates how community-driven recycling can complement municipal efforts. Comprising mostly women, MiRCA collects recyclables from neighboring neighborhoods for sale to junk shops, prioritizing environmental impact over profit. Divina Morales of MiRCA emphasizes the feasibility of managing waste even without full-scale materials recovery facilities, relying instead on localized materials recovery stations.
Davao City’s agricultural sector is also adopting circular principles through innovative waste-to-protein strategies. Apo Natural Farms and Limadol employ black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) to process food waste, reducing landfill load, decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, and producing organic byproducts that contribute to food security. These larvae consume food waste rapidly, live only five to ten days, and minimize odors, providing scalable, low-cost solutions for urban and peri-urban waste management.
Despite these initiatives, Davao’s landfill system faces structural pressure. Under RA 9003 Implementing Rules and Regulations, only residual waste should enter sanitary landfills. However, the city’s landfill, initially designed for 20 years of operation, reached capacity in just 10 years due to the disposal of compostable and mixed waste. Daily waste collection has escalated from around 400 tons in 2010 to 700–800 tons by 2024–2025, reflecting rising urbanization and consumption.
The local government has responded with a ₱540 million phased expansion of the landfill, including excavation, plastic liners, base construction, road networks, and perimeter fencing, aimed at maintaining compliance with environmental standards. In parallel, authorities are exploring Waste-to-Energy facilities to offset landfill pressure, though environmental groups caution that even non-incineration WTE technologies carry potential risks to public health and ecosystems.
At the barangay level, compliance with solid waste management mandates remains uneven. Of Davao’s 182 barangays, 53 operate full materials recovery facilities, 116 maintain materials recovery stations, 47 manage composting programs, and 96 meet overall waste management standards.
