Cebu City’s fight against plastic pollution has taken a significant step forward with a new collaboration between Prime Infra, its social development arm Prime Infra Foundation, and waste management company Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS). Together, they have partnered with RiverRecycle, an environmental enterprise from Finland, to address the growing problem of plastic waste in the city’s rivers.

As part of this partnership, RiverRecycle deployed its specialized boom system along the Kinalumsan River in Barangay Mambaling. The system is designed to intercept waste before it reaches the ocean, preventing it from contaminating marine ecosystems. The initiative is expected to stop approximately 97,000 kilograms of debris, including over 13,000 kilograms of plastic, from entering the ocean each year.

For Prime Infra, this collaboration aligns with its broader mission of addressing environmental issues through sustainable and community-focused solutions.

“There’s so much to work on in terms of waste management and proper disposal in the country, and part of that involves the collection of waste. When you partner with companies like RiverRecycle, which focuses on different aspects of logistics, such as the rivers where waste accumulates, then it is in perfect synergy with what we do at PWS,” said Cara Peralta, Prime Infra Market Sector Lead for Waste.

PWS plays a vital role in the region’s waste management efforts. The company operates a state-of-the-art waste facility in Cebu City, capable of processing up to 1,000 tons of waste per day. Its operations prioritize recycling and resource recovery, significantly reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills or rivers.

RiverRecycle, on the other hand, focuses on preventing plastic pollution from reaching the oceans by intercepting it at its source — rivers. The company’s boom system offers a practical solution to capture waste before it becomes an irreversible environmental problem.

“The way we see it, the most important thing is to stop waste from reaching the ocean in the short term, because that’s where it causes the most harm and is the hardest to clean up. That’s why we are focusing on rivers, as they are the last manageable point to remove waste before it becomes an insurmountable problem,” said Anssi Mikola, Founder and CEO of RiverRecycle.

RiverRecycle is known for its innovative approach to tackling river pollution. In addition to collecting waste, the company processes low-value plastics into usable materials. These plastics, often difficult to recycle, play a crucial role in reducing global pollution.

“Partnering with Prime Waste Solutions is really like a showcase for us because there are very few places where we work where you actually have an industrial-sized material recovery facility that is able to aim for zero waste to landfill,” Mikola added.

Through PWS, Prime Infra is making a significant impact on Cebu City’s waste management infrastructure. PWS operates two of the Philippines’ only automated materials recovery facilities — one in Cebu and another in Pampanga. These facilities use advanced equipment such as vibrating sieves, baling systems, and magnetic separators to recover valuable resources and reduce landfill waste. By minimizing the amount of organic waste sent to landfills, the facilities also help reduce methane emissions, which contribute to global warming.

As the boom system in Kinalumsan River works to capture the day’s plastic waste, it serves as a reminder of the powerful partnership at the heart of Cebu City’s ongoing battle against pollution. This collaboration also reflects the growing global movement to protect the environment, one river at a time.