CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: A waste-to-energy conversion plant worth PHP25 million is being considered for construction in the city. In a statement on Wednesday, 1st District Councilor Jay Pascual said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is offering the amount to build the facility in the landfill site in Barangay Pagalungan. "The DTI said the waste-to-energy plant is similar to that used in Singapore, where they burn garbage for energy," he said. Pascual, however, said the thick smoke that the facility produces raised some concerns to the local government. "I asked DTI what happens to the smoke, and they said it would pass through water (and it can be converted to energy). They're only asking for the city's support since other cities are also doing it," he said. Councilor Roger Abaday, also the first district and chair of the council's environment committee, said the Department of Science and Technology is ready to provide part of the funding. This developed after a special report by 2nd District Counc ilor Malvern Esparcia, who recently questioned whether the city has a waste-to-energy conversion facility or a recycling plant that can accommodate recyclable household waste. Under the city government's "no segregation, no collection" policy, recyclable household waste is dumped in a barangay's material recovery facility (MRF). Esparcia said some barangays like Pagatpat have their MRFs operated by a cooperative without funding from the barangay. While Pagatpat is fully implementing its waste segregation, Esparcia said its MRF is now filled with sacks of fertilizer, used glass and plastic bottles, and used tires. Source: Philippines News Agency
