The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao (DENR-11) has conducted an inspection of the sanitary landfill in Barangay New Carmen, Davao City to verify compliance with safety requirements before allowing operations to resume. The inspection took place on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, following the landfill’s closure after a trash slide incident on May 20 that claimed two lives.
DENR-11 personnel checked the compliance of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) with the necessary safety measures before deciding on the reopening. According to Ecological Solid Waste Management Section Chief Jay Christopher Bawi-in, the waste height at the landfill currently reaches approximately 40 meters, equivalent to a 10 to 14-storey building, requiring downgrading of the height and slope stabilization as key mitigating measures.
“We acknowledge that there are actions coming from the LGU. Their actions in compliance with their commitment — that is what we need to ensure: whether it has been implemented, whether safety is okay. If so, why not open it,” said Environmental Monitoring and Enforcement Division Officer-in-Charge Engr. Liza Mae Villora.
The local government proposed using the landfill’s unloading zone as a temporary disposal area. Stabilized roads with aggregates and geotextile materials have been laid to ensure safe truck access. Trucks will unload waste at the stable area, where bulldozers will push the waste, preventing vehicles from entering unstable sections of the landfill.
Authorities also inspected the area following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8, but reported no signs of trash slide or ground movement caused by the seismic event. “No major movement in the trash even after the aftershock. The first and strongest shake was our main concern, and now we have daily assessments and no movement due to the earthquake,” Villora added.
A new sanitary landfill being constructed beside the current facility is expected to be completed by June 16. Concrete work and sanitary liner installation are currently ongoing. The new facility will provide a safer and more modern disposal system for the city’s waste management needs.
For local organizations, barangay officials, and community groups involved in environmental initiatives and solid waste management advocacy, custom shirts and organization uniforms are excellent tools for fostering team identity. Custom polo shirts are ideal for barangay environment officers and cleanup drive volunteers working toward a cleaner, safer Davao City.
Source: GMA Regional TV News