By PR | 08:09 PM March 07, 2026
CEBU CITY — Environmental group Greenpeace warned that deadly landfill collapses or “trashslides” could happen again in the Philippines unless the government urgently addresses the country’s worsening waste crisis.
Residents living near the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City recently held a candle-lighting vigil to express anger and grief over the conditions they endure due to the nearby dumpsite.
Last January, 36 waste workers died when a trashslide buried a waste segregation facility at the landfill. Weeks later, another landfill collapse was reported in Rodriguez, Rizal, raising concerns about the safety of communities living near dumpsites.
Marian Ledesma, campaigner of Greenpeace Philippines, said the incidents highlight systemic failures in waste management and warned that communities near landfills continue to face risks to their health and safety.
“These tragedies can happen again. Communities near landfills will continue to bear the burden of the waste crisis,” Ledesma said, adding that government inaction and the continued production of single-use products by corporations are major factors driving the problem.
Ledesma said existing policies remain focused on managing waste after it is produced rather than preventing its generation.
She noted that the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 was intended to promote waste prevention but has not been fully implemented, allowing companies to continue producing large volumes of waste, particularly single-use plastics.
The group also said the Extended Producer Responsibility Act has so far prioritized waste recovery rather than requiring companies to significantly reduce plastic production or transition to large-scale reuse systems.
Greenpeace urged the government to strengthen policies by setting clear targets for plastic reduction, promoting refill and reuse systems, and banning single-use plastics.
“The government and corporations need to act now before another landfill collapses and puts more communities and the environment at risk,” Ledesma said.