Dumaguete City MRF faces scrutiny after waste accumulation

Dumaguete City’s Central Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Barangay Candau-ay has transitioned from a nationally recognized model to an unprocessed waste site over the last four years.

In May 2021, the city government entered a ₱21.9-million contract with Suki Trading Corporation for a pyrolysis-gasification unit and various waste processing machinery. While the facility received a Presidential Filipinnovation plaque in March 2022 and was lauded by the DENR as a potential national training site, recent monitoring has raised concerns.

Between June and July 2025, a report by the group War on Waste Negros Oriental, utilizing portable air sensors, called for the immediate closure of the unit. Following this, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a notice to Dumaguete City in July 2025 regarding several items, though none specifically concerned air emissions.