Cebu City turns to tech to help residents report garbage issues

CEBU CITY -- In a bid to leverage digital innovation to address its ongoing solid waste challenges, the Cebu City Government has officially launched the pilot testing of Citizen Action 360, a new online platform designed to streamline how residents report and track waste management concerns in their communities.

The digital initiative allows citizens to directly submit complaints or issues related to uncollected garbage, illegal dumping, and local waste management service through the city’s official portal. Users can track the status of their reports in real time, bringing greater transparency and accountability to city services.

According to municipal officials, the current limited pilot phase aims to gather public feedback and identify technical glitches before a full, city-wide roll out.

"City officials emphasized that the platform is still undergoing testing and users may encounter minor bugs or system issues during the pilot phase," the Public Information Office (PIO) said in a statement, encouraging residents to actively participate to help refine the system.

A digital tool for a real-world crisis

The launch of Citizen Action 360 comes at a critical time for Cebu City, which has been grappling with a severe solid waste crisis. Daily trash generation in the city averages roughly 600 tons, a figure that has severely strained local infrastructure, exacerbated by compliance and logistical hurdles following recent landfill closures and strict environmental mandates.

With the city under heightened pressure to enforce stricter segregation policies and prevent unmanaged trash accumulation, local officials hope Citizen Action 360 will serve as an effective bridge between the public and government response teams.

The portal aligns with the city’s broader vision of transforming into a "Smart, Sustainable, and Inclusive Cebu City" by fostering civic participation and crowdsourcing real-time data to optimize garbage collection routes and environmental monitoring.

Residents interested in joining the pilot test and reporting neighborhood waste concerns can access the system via the official Cebu City Government Citizen Action Portal.