In a renewed push to safeguard Cebu City’s waterways, the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) have installed a new trash trap along Mahiga River, marking a strategic revival of the city’s river waste interception program.
The installation, completed early this week, is part of a broader inter-city cooperation with Mandaue City to curb waste migration across boundaries and prevent ocean-bound debris.
Within weeks, Barangay Mabolo’s Clean and Green team reported the collection of 105 sacks of garbage-mostly plastic waste-underscoring the trap’s immediate impact.
This blends low-tech engineering with high-impact community engagement, empowering barangays to maintain and monitor traps in their jurisdictions.
Trash traps are physical barriers-often made of mesh, netting, or floating booms and, in Cebu City’s case, also utilizing pet bottles as floaters. This is designed to intercept solid waste carried by river currents before it reaches downstream ecosystems or the sea.
These are proven to be effective especially in urban waterways where household waste, plastic packaging, and organic debris are prevalent.
Trash traps offer a practical solution to this problem, especially when paired with barangay-level enforcement and public education.
This isn’t Cebu City’s first attempt at deploying trash traps.
Previous installations-some dating back to the early 2010s-were part of CCENRO’s early river rehabilitation efforts.
However, many of these traps deteriorated or disappeared over time due to lack of maintenance, flooding damage, and inconsistent barangay coordination.
The need for stronger barangay involvement and inter-agency coordination, citing the deterioration of past river protection measures have been noted and the current program is expected to address these gaps by assigning barangays direct responsibility for upkeep, supported by CCENRO’s technical guidance and monitoring.
The Mahiga River trash trap also symbolizes a growing partnership between Cebu City and Mandaue City, whose shared waterways have long suffered from boundary-blind pollution.
By intercepting waste before it crosses jurisdictions, both cities aim to reduce downstream contamination and improve water quality.
Mayor Nestor Archival has committed to its move as part of his broader vision for a sustainable Cebu City, where environmental protection is embedded in local governance.
CCENRO’s revitalized trash trap program is more than a technical fix-it’s a call to action.
By combining engineering, civic engagement, and inter-agency cooperation, Cebu City is reclaiming its rivers one trap at a time.