Iloilo City is banking on a new P2.3-billion Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility (ISWMF) to strengthen its waste management system as the limited number of Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) across its barangays continues to hamper proper garbage segregation and disposal.
According to the city's General Services Office (GSO), only 24 of Iloilo City's 180 barangay currently operate MRFs, despite the requirement under Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which mandates local government units to establish facilities for waste segregation and recovery.
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MRF Shortage Challenges Proper Waste Segregation
GSO head Neil Ravena said only around 30 percent of the city's 180 barangay have MRFs, adding that authorities are also assessing whether existing facilities are operating consistently.
He explained that under the law, barangays are expected to segregate recyclable and organic waste through their own MRFs before only residual waste is transported to sanitary landfills.
“The barangay should establish an MRF, and that facility will house the recyclables and organic waste. Those are the primary segregation of waste. After which, all residual waste will be collected and will be disposed of in our sanitary landfill. That is the ideal solid waste management,” Ravena said.
Instead of operating their own recovery facilities, many barangays have partnered with junk shops to collect recyclable materials. However, biodegradable and food waste remain difficult to manage because many communities lack composting facilities, causing these materials to end up mixed with residual garbage.
Ravena stressed that organic waste should ideally be processed through barangay composting facilities before disposal.
“We don’t want Iloilo City to be dirty. So we are trying our best. We are trying to resolve the compliance of the barangay because everything starts in the barangay,” he said.
The GSO also acknowledged that compliance remains difficult in highly urbanized areas. More than 40 barangay in the city's Central Business District do not have enough available land to construct composting facilities required under the law.
Meanwhile, authorities have observed increasing volumes of garbage in several boundary barangays and are investigating reports that waste from neighboring municipalities may be entering Iloilo City.
Integrated Waste Facility Seen as Long-Term Solution
To address these challenges, the city government is pinning its hopes on the Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility (ISWMF) being built in Barangay Ingore, La Paz.
Ravena said the facility's anaerobic digestion system is expected to process between 200 and 300 tons of organic waste every day, offering a centralized solution for communities that are unable to establish their own composting facilities.
“That will resolve the problem of organic waste, especially the problem of organic waste in the Central Business District due to the absence of a composting facility,” Ravena said.
He added that once the ISWMF begins operating in 2027, the shortage of barangay MRFs will become less of a concern since segregated organic waste can be processed at the centralized facility.
The P2.3-billion public-private partnership between the Iloilo City government, MetPower Venture Partners Holdings Inc., Metro Pacific Water Investments Corp., and Metro Pacific Iloilo Water is designed to process up to 475 tons of municipal solid waste daily.
At present, Iloilo City produces more than 600 tons of garbage each day, including an estimated 200 tons of recyclable materials.
Ravena also acknowledged that households face difficulties in fully complying with waste segregation because of limited options for disposing biodegradable waste.
“Maybe the most that you could segregate is recyclables like cans and PET bottles. But the challenge is organic waste, such as kitchen and food waste, because there are no facilities to process them,” he said.
While waiting for the ISWMF to be completed, the city plans to deploy two mobile MRFs capable of collecting and processing biodegradable waste in areas without permanent facilities. The electric-powered food waste collection trucks were donated by the United Nations Development Programme.
However, Ravena said the vehicles have yet to be deployed because a fast-charging station in Calajunan is still being completed.
“Since these are electric vehicles, we need an appropriate charging station. We redesigned the system into a two-hour fast charger, which is now being installed in Calajunan. Once completed, it will support our daily collection operations,” Ravena said.
The city's efforts underscore the importance of investing in modern waste management systems as urban populations continue to grow. For residents, improved garbage collection, better waste segregation, and expanded recycling capacity can help create cleaner communities, reduce environmental pollution, and support more sustainable public health and environmental protection across Iloilo and other local governments facing similar challenges.
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