Iligan eyes modern waste facility to reduce landfill waste

ILIGAN CITY — The city government of Iligan is moving to modernize its solid waste management system through a proposed 23-hectare integrated “circular economy” facility aimed at reducing landfill waste, boosting recycling, and converting organic discards into useful resources.

The initiative took a step forward on Tuesday with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Iligan City government and the European Union (EU), represented by Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Santoro.

The event was attended by officials from the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 10, and the EU-PH Green Economy Partnership.

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READ: Eradicate waste at source to prevent landfill disasters

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City Administrator Dr. Darwin Manubag said the proposed facility would go beyond conventional waste disposal by incorporating technologies that recover materials and transform biodegradable waste into useful products.

“We want to move away from simply dumping waste and toward a system where discarded materials can be recovered, processed, and reused. This will help protect the environment while creating opportunities for livelihood and supporting local industries,” Manubag said.

The planned facility will include a Category 4 sanitary landfill, composting operations, recycling systems, Black Soldier Fly technology for organic waste conversion, and smart monitoring systems.

The city aims to divert 50 percent of its waste from landfills in the facility’s first year of operation, increasing the rate to 60 percent by the third year.

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Waste diversion involves keeping garbage out of landfills through recycling, composting, reuse, and other recovery methods.

Reaching these targets, however, will depend on effective waste segregation at the household and business levels, as well as the facility’s capacity to process collected materials, Manubag said. /mcm