By Sheldeen Joy Talavera, Reporter
THE new waste processing facility of Razon-led Prime Infrastructure Capital, Inc.’s (Prime Infra) unit in Porac, Pampanga, will serve as an alternative solution amid the looming closure of sanitary landfill facilities that cater to Clark City, the company said on Wednesday.
“We’re a very different set of operations, so as you can see, we’re materials recovering facility, not landfill, so indeed we are an alternative for any other waste facility,” Cara T. Peralta, Prime Infra’s market sector lead for waste, told reporters.
The development follows the recent announcement from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) regarding the impending expiration of a contract for the Kalangitan sanitary landfill facilities in Capas, Tarlac.
The 25-year contract between Metro Clark Waste Management Corp. and Clark Development Corp. is set to expire in October.
BCDA has said that it will help find alternative solutions for the waste disposal requirements of affected stakeholders.
Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS) on Wednesday inaugurated its automated materials recovery facility (MRF), which has an investment of over P1 billion.
“The idea is to ensure segregation, storage, efficient processing, and the ultimate outcome is to minimize environmental impacts and the residue of the waste coming into the facility,” Prime Infra President and Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Lucci said.
The waste processing facility, with a site area of about 10 hectares, is capable of segregating and treating 5,000 tons of garbage per day, the company said.
It will handle the waste from north Luzon and the northern part of Metro Manila.
Ms. Peralta said the Pampanga facility can accommodate up to 80-90% of the total waste received.
The Pampanga MRF is PWS’s first greenfield development, and the company’s second operational facility after Cebu City.
Ms. Peralta said the company would enter into a joint venture within the next two to three years with US-based WasteFuel Global to convert the waste into energy.
PWS was established in response to the increasing demand for proper waste management and resource recovery solutions in industrialized and fast-growing cities in the Philippines.
Prime Infra said that its business model is based on the company’s overall objective of converting recovered resources into sustainable fuels.
