The Iloilo City government has entered into an agreement with a supplier of construction materials to turn waste materials into fuel.
City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) head Engr. Neil Ravena said in an interview that under the agreed waste diversion program, Cemex Holding Philippines, Inc. will process the city’s low-density plastic waste into a power source for their factory.
Ravena said plastic constitutes about 90 tons of the 400 tons of waste generated daily in Iloilo City. He said without the waste diversion program, 90 tons of waste would end up at the sanitary landfill, diminishing the lifespan of the facility. Ravena added that they will reorganize the Uswag Calahunan Livelihood Association (UCLA) composed of waste pickers who will sort out waste at the materials recovery facility (MRF) in the Calahunan dumpsite located in Mandurriao district. “All the proceeds and sales of recyclable materials and those coming from Cemex equivalent to the plastic we deliver to them will go to our waste pickers,” he noted.
(Source: Philippine News Agency)
