The Davao City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) strengthened its campaign for proper waste segregation, emphasizing that the collective discipline of Dabawenyos is the most powerful tool in building a cleaner and greener Davao.
Dolores E. Remojo, Officer-in-Charge of CENRO, emphasized that by starting with small and daily habits at home, families can make a big impact on the city’s cleanliness and sustainability.
“Kining basura, dili ni masulbad kung isa lang ang mutrabaho or one-sided lang. Kini nga effort gyud kinahanglan nga ang tanan mag tinabangay. Ang kinahanglan ang partisipasyon ug kooperasyon sa matag usa (This problem won’t be solved if only one person is working or if it’s one-sided. This effort really requires everyone to help each other. What we need is the participation and cooperation of everyone),” she told Madayaw Davao over Davao City Disaster Radio on July 2, 2026.
Under Ordinance 0706-21, individuals who fail to segregate their waste face a Php 500 fine, while negligent businesses may be penalized up to Php 5,000.
Enforcers have also been deputized to issue citation tickets to violators, including those who dispose of garbage outside designated hours.
Meanwhile, Engr. Lakandiwa Soliman Orcullo, Acting Division Chief of Environmental Waste and Management Division, CENRO also explained that segregation is not limited to the familiar 3Rs but has expanded into the 10Rs which are Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Refurbish, Remanufacture, Repurpose, Recycle, and Recovery emphasizing that these principles provide residents with many options to manage waste responsibly.
“Kinahanglan gyud og tabang sa inyo mga residente kay daghan pamaagi nga para makatabang gyud ang kada isa, pwede ta mag reuse, reduce, recycle. Actually, sa circular economy, 10rs nana siya. Naa nata’y rethink, bago ka mupalit sa usa ka butang huna hunaaon sa nimo kung gamiton ba gyud nimo or dili otherwise ma end up lang sya as basura. Refurbished, tanawon nimo kung pakay pwede pa magamit, ipaayo nimo kung daot para magamit nimo og balik. Naa pod remanufacture, naay recover. So, dili lang siya 3rs, 10rs na siya kay daghan kaayo og pamaagi para makaya og reduce ang atong basura (We need help from the residents because there are many ways for everyone to contribute, we can reuse, reduce, recycle. Actually, in the circular economy, it’s already 10Rs. We need to rethink, before you buy something, consider if you will really use it or not, otherwise it will just end up as waste. Refurbish, check if it can still be used, repair it if it’s damaged so you can use it again. There are also remanufacture, there is recovery. So, it’s not just 3Rs, it’s 10Rs because there are so many ways to reduce our waste),” he added.
By separating biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable materials from residual waste, families not only reduce the volume of garbage collected but also contribute to resource recovery and recycling efforts.
“Gina awhag nato ang tanan nga unta sa ato pa lang panimalay, mag segregate ta unya ang katung mga mapuslan, dili nato ilabay sa collection point. Kato lang gyud mga residuals nga wala nagyuy pulos ang atoang ilabay sa collection point (We encourage everyone to segregate the useful items and not throw them at the collection point. Only the residuals that are no longer useful should be thrown at the collection point),” Remojo added.
Currently, 115 barangays in the city operate Materials Recovery Storage (MRS), while 53 barangays have Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) to support proper solid waste management. CIO
Written by: N. Malasado
Edited by: A. Nawal