Weighing on WTE

I was at a lunch meeting with a Japanese expert on waste-to-energy, a technology feared by so many. Apparently, in many countries, it’s a solution to a growing problem of garbage that continues to pile up, from packaging to food waste. In Cebu, it has been brought up many times in discussions but was always turned down by communities. This might be the best time to explore it.

Cebu, especially the city, continues to be in limbo over how it should manage its waste. It generates over 600 tons a day, paid by the ton to be hauled to another municipality miles away. It’s bleeding the city dry of resources until only God knows when. The administration is pushing to reopen the landfill where over 30 individuals died during a collapse. An incident with no update in its investigation six months later. The silence is deafening.

We were told waste-to-energy uses free fuel generated from households, such as biodegradable goods. Others that don’t make the cut are forced to undergo serious recycling, like metals and hard plastics. The process in the facility is controlled, with emissions monitored to ensure that what comes out doesn’t harm communities.

This is where the conversation becomes complicated. WTE isn’t a magic bullet solution to Cebu’s garbage problem, but it’s a viable option. It also doesn’t mean we can throw everything into a furnace and call it sustainable. There must still be serious waste segregation, recycling, and reduction at the household level. The technology should complement, not replace, responsible waste management.

Perhaps this is where Cebu city needs to change the conversation. We have spent years saying no to technologies because of the fear they might bring more harm than good. That fear is understandable, especially after what happened in Binaliw but fear should push us to ask better questions, not stop us from asking altogether.

We should ask the right questions and understand it. Such as: What technology is being proposed? What emissions will it produce? Who will monitor them? How often will the facility be inspected? Where will the ash go? Who pays for it? And, most importantly, who gets to see the data?

If Cebu can seriously considering WTE, then these questions must be answered publicly and transparently. It’s best to communicate the message properly. Legitimate communities must be part of the discussion from the beginning, not informed only after a decision has already been made. We push to ask the most difficult question of long Cebu can continue paying to send its garbage somewhere else. Our waste doesn’t disappear when a truck leaves the city. It simply becomes someone else’s problem and someone else’s burden or a hazard.

Perhaps it’s time to weigh WTE not against our fears, but against the reality we’re already living with. Let’s open our minds to it because the status quo isn’t exactly working either.