The Manila City Government has revised its garbage collection fees for businesses for the first time since 2013, citing higher waste volumes, rising hauling costs, and the need to align fees with actual service expenses under Ordinance No. 9151.

City Treasurer Atty. Paul Vega said the updated fees apply only to businesses and are based on the type of establishment and the amount of waste generated. Residential households will not be affected.

"The existing garbage fee rates were last updated in 2013, more than a decade ago, and no longer reflect current waste generation levels or service costs," Vega said.

City Legal Officer Atty. Luch Gempis Jr. said the measure also accounts for additional hauling costs after the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) directed Manila’s waste to the New San Mateo Sanitary Landfill in Rizal.

"Ordinance 9151 was passed to update garbage collection fees, which remained unchanged also since 2013, to address the significant increase in the volume of waste generated from commercial and industrial sectors and increase in garbage hauling fees," Gempis said.

The City Government of Manila maintains that Ordinance No. 9151 is lawful and constitutionally sound, and that comparisons with the Quezon City garbage fee case previously ruled upon by the Supreme Court (SC) are misplaced.

"The circumstances surrounding the QC ordinance are fundamentally different from the regulatory framework adopted by Manila," Gempis said.

He explained that the SC ruling involved garbage charges imposed on households and condominium units at varying rates, with proceeds earmarked for socialized housing.

"In contrast, Manila’s revised garbage collection fees apply exclusively to business establishments and are imposed as regulatory fees, not taxes, consistent with jurisprudence recognizing the validity of cost-based garbage charges," Gempis said.

He added that Ordinance No. 9151 updates garbage collection fees that had remained unchanged since 2013, despite significant increases in waste volume from commercial sources and higher hauling and disposal costs, including additional expenses arising from the redirection of Manila’s waste to the New San Mateo Sanitary Landfill in Rizal, following guidance from the MMDA.

Vega said the measure is intended to help reduce the gap between the amount collected for garbage fees and the actual cost of waste collection services.

Likewise, Bureau of Permits Director Levi Facundo said garbage fee assessments are system-generated based on the schedules provided under Ordinance No. 9151, and that businesses seeking clarification may coordinate with the appropriate city offices.