By Lilybeth G. Ison
MANILA, June 25 (PNA) — The country’s largest Refuse Derived Facility (RDF) has started operations in Pasig City to enhance garbage disposal in the country.
A joint initiative of Pasig City government, IPM Construction and Development Corporation (IPM), and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the RDF plant is capable of processing about 600 tons of trash per day, almost equivalent to the city’s daily trash collection.
The facility runs by mechanically segregating waste and selecting garbage with high thermal value. These are shred, pelletized and wrapped into bales for use as alternative fuel in cement plants, particularly those of the LaFarge Group in the Philippines.
About 25-35 percent of the processed waste become alternative fuel while the remaining organic waste are safely transferred to sanitary landfills.
A product of a long-standing partnership of IPM with Pasig City government in cooperation with MMDA, the facility addresses serious concerns on increasing municipal solid waste and disposal.
The RDF facility also complies with the waste diversion requirement of Republic Act No. 9003 or Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. It also addresses Climate Change issues associated with how municipal wastes are managed.
“We’re excited to launch this project and officially start its operation as we celebrate World Environment Day and as the Philippines observes Environment Month this June,” said Pasig City Mayor Maribel Eusebio during the launching on Wednesday.
The facility is majority owned by Basic Environmental Systems & Technologies, Inc. (BEST) -– a subsidiary of listed Minerales Industrias Corp. (MIC) -– and France-based Lafarge Industrial Ecology, International.
IPM, meanwhile, will operate and manage the RDF Processing Facility.
“This is the largest RDF facility in the Philippines to date. We’re proud to be partners of Pasig City, MMDA and LaFarge in this pioneering endeavor to save the environment by reducing our dependence on fossil fuel,” said IPM president and MIC treasurer Isabelita P. Mercado.
The co-processing of RDF from municipal solid wastes for cement plants is an environment-friendly technology used in many countries. The RDF serves as substitute fuel for cement kilns. Use of trash instead of coal addresses the twin issues of solid waste management and Climate Change. The burning of coal as fuel is known as a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that contribute significantly to global warming.
The RDF facility in Pasig City is one of the country’s pioneering efforts in practicing and adopting the Three “Rs” -– Reuse, Reduce and Recycle -– to help preserve the environment. (PNA)