The City Government of Baguio has signified its intent to supply the waste-to-energy (WtE) facility located in Sablan, Benguet with solid waste to be used as feedstock when the said facility becomes fully operational.
This is a step forward towards the city government’s commitment to support the realization of a WtE project that is expected to significantly reduce waste in the localities and help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change.
Resolute in its goal to address the enormous amount of garbage produced by households and commercial establishments in the city, the city government recently entered into a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Metro Global Renewable Energy Corporation. This MOA shall allow the city government to haul its solid waste to the said facility which is also in line with the local government’s efforts to introduce cost reduction initiatives on waste management.
Waste-to-energy pertains to the method of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat from a waste source. A WtE plant receives non-recyclable trash and converts it to energy.
It was previously disclosed that the Municipality of Sablan had agreed to host the WtE facility, a move lauded by the City Government of Baguio as it would help the local governments of Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) solve their problems on waste disposal.
Metro Global Renewable Energy Corporation, the proponent of the project, said the WtE facility would be capable of processing 500 tons per day of solid waste by recovering and retaining recyclables while converting remaining waste into electricity and disposing of any non-marketable waste into the landfill.
A few years back, two city-owned properties, one in Sto. Tomas Barangay and one in Dontogan, were eyed for the city government’s construction of its own WtE facility. However, securing both lands for this purpose proved to be a challenge due to the presence of informal settlers therein and the exorbitant cost for the construction of a road network for the site.
Be that as it may, the city government continues to remind its residents to embrace the culture of segregating waste as the city government prepares to integrate WtE in its approach towards solid waste management in the city.
Earlier, City Administrator Bonifacio dela Pena told the city council members that, to make the implementation of WtE successful, residents must first learn the value of waste segregation and practice it. **Jordan G. Habbiling
