The Province of Cebu has agreed to providing its plastic wastes for APO Cement Plant as this will be a promising economic enterprise to the local government units.
This development came after Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Daanbantayan Mayor Sun Shimura,the president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Cebu Chapter (LMP-Cebu), and Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. agreed at the Capitol yesterday.
Garcia told Shimura that she would wish for all LGUs of the province to avail of the project being a trail-blazing initiative that basically addresses waste disposal problems in every LGU while earning an income.
Cemex shall pay the LGUs, through Capitol for every metric ton of waste that they will deliver. The cement factory which is located in the City of Naga is primarily powered by coal.
But 13 percent of its fuel demands have already been supplied by Refuse Derived Fuel or RDF which gets the non-hazardous,residential, industrial, commercial,construction, and demolition waste collected from at least six LGUs in the Province, said Christer Gaudiano, the corporate communications and public affairs director of Cemex.
"Instead of disposing waste in a landfill, or worse, it goes to our waterways, we are able to use it as a fuel for our cement operations," Gaudiano stressed.
Shimura, on his part, promised to bring the matter to the mayor-members of the LMP-Cebu for their decision in the soonest possible time as this is a priority project of Governor Gwen.
In a study conducted by Waste Management Inc.(WMI), a private firm, Cebu Province can produce an average of 2,000 metric tons of solid waste daily that could be used for Apo Cement's RDF requirements.
WMI CEO Gener Dungo,who attended the meeting with Garcia and Shimura said that his firm is a provider of integrated solid waste management solution in Metro Manila. WMI will haul the plastic wastes from LGUs all over the province and to deliver them through Landing Craft Tanks(LCT) or LCT vessels to the port of Apo Cement.
Gaudiano said with the partnership, they hope to increase Apo Cement's RDF substitution by double digits, from 13% to as high as 90% RDF substitution by 2030. Currently, the cement plant is processing 150 metric tons of plastic waste daily for RDF.
"Imagine, we are able to use raw material which is residual waste. Instead of putting this waste in a landfill or improperly disposing it,we are able to extend its life and use it as an alternative fuel for our operations," Gaudiano said as he added that RDF is also much better alternative than coal which is carbon intensive.