Rain-Soaked Binaliw Landfill Collapses, Nearby Houses Hit
BINALIW LANDFILL – Residents near the Binaliw landfill woke up to fear and uncertainty after a sudden garbage slide struck nearby homes following days of relentless rain.
Continuous heavy rainfall over the past several days has led to a landfill collapse at the Binaliw dumpsite, affecting several houses located near the area on Thursday, January 8, 2025. Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera confirmed the incident, explaining that the persistent rain softened the soil and waste mass, eventually causing piles of garbage to slide down toward nearby residential structures.
Garganera, who chairs the Cebu City Council’s committee on environment, said authorities immediately responded after reports were received that homes within the landfill’s perimeter were partially buried by the garbage slide. Emergency responders were quickly deployed, along with five ambulances, to ensure the safety of residents and to assess possible injuries.
“We have already deployed disaster response teams, and we also sent personnel from the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) to conduct a drone assessment to determine the extent of the affected area,” Garganera said.
Based on initial information, several houses were directly hit by the collapsing waste. While damage assessments are ongoing, local officials are closely monitoring the situation to determine whether residents need to be evacuated and what immediate assistance is required.
Garganera pointed to the fundamental design and operation of the Binaliw facility as a major factor behind the incident, noting that it functions as an open dumpsite rather than a properly engineered sanitary landfill.
“If you look at how this landfill operates, they cut through the mountain and mine the soil, then fill the other half with garbage. In effect, they level the mountain to create another mountain made of waste. That is the nature of this landfill,” Garganera said.
He stressed that the growing height of accumulated garbage has made the site increasingly unstable, especially during extended periods of rainfall.
“Even ordinary mountains made of soil and rock can experience landslides. How much more a mountain of garbage?” Garganera said.
According to the councilor, the continuous rain further weakened both the soil and waste layers, making the collapse unavoidable. He also criticized landfill operators for failing to adequately address safety risks, not just within the dumpsite but also for surrounding communities.
Garganera added that the incident may be connected to ongoing efforts to expand the landfill as it nears full capacity.
“When the site is already full, they try to expand. That’s what we are seeing now,” he said.
Despite repeated appeals to close the facility, Garganera said the landfill remains operational as the city’s main disposal site.
“As I have said before, I have moved heaven and earth to have this landfill closed, but operations have continued,” he added.
READ ALSO: 9-Month-Old Baby Found Dead Inside Cardboard Box At Landfill