Councilor Jay Roa Pascual of Cagayan de Oro has shared that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has proposed the installation of a waste to energy facility in the city. The facility would purportedly be worth 25 million pesos.
The proposal was discussed in a meeting with DTI attended by both Councilor Pascual and Councilor Roger Abaday who chairs the council’s environment committee.
The waste to energy conversion plant will be put up in the Pagalungan landfill site if the local government agrees to the plan. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) will provide the funding.
‘The DTI said the waste to energy plant is similar to that used in Singapore where they burn garbage for energy,” disclosed Pascual.
Concerns about the smoke that the waste conversion will produce were raised by Councilor Pascual but these were immediately allayed. DTI said that the technology converts the smoke, which passes through water, to energy.
Discussion of a waste to energy facility developed after a report by Councilor Malvern Esparcia who raised the need for such a facility after noting that residents of Barangay Pagatpat operate their own material recovery facility (MRF) independently without funding from the barangay.
While Barangay Pagatpat is actively implementing waste segregation, additional measures need to be put in place to cope with the large number of collected waste.
How does waste become energy?
Waste to energy facilities convert non-recyclable trash to electricity, heat, or fuel using various technologies. These technologies can be thermal, using heat, or non-thermal, without using heat.
The energy produced is clean and renewable with minimal environmental impact. It is a technology that is being used by developed countries as a more sustainable way to produce much-needed energy.
The accumulation of waste is something we have to deal with as landfills reach maximum capacity. Hopefully, the national government can help local government units and barangays to find optimal solutions.
