Solid waste managemet remains one of the biggest challenge in Quezon City (QC).

According to the Waste Analysis and Characterization Study (WACS) conducted by the QC Environmental Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD), the city produced about 3,169,220 kg of solid waste everyday in 2018, mostly coming from residential use. From another study conducted in 2013, waste generation per capita was at 0.88 kg/day, and increasing by 3.33% every year.

The QC Local Government, "LGU", initiated a public-private partnership project called the "Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility Project" in 2018.

The consortium composed of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation, Covanta Energy LLC, and Macquarie Capital Limited (the “Original Proponent”) who submitted the project as an unsolicited proposal (“USP”) to the LGU.

The Project involves Biodegradable Source Separated Waste (SSO) Treatment and Residual Combustible Waste (RCW) Treatment technologies capable of processing up to 3,000 metric tons of MSW per day and generating 36 MWe (Net), as well as monofill for fly ash disposal, continuous emission monitoring system, administration building, scale house, transmission lines, and utility systems and connections.

The indicative cost of the project would be up to PhP 22 billion (around €403 million), and revenues would be generated from tipping fees, power generation fees, and sale of by-products (e.g recycleables, digestate).

The Project is expected to provide the LGU with a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and cheaper waste disposal solution for its current solid waste management challenges.

It is also expected that the project would create increased health benefits to the local population, resulting to a reduction in costs of illnesses (e.g. hospitalizations, physician and medical fees, hospital out and in-patient costs, time lost for treatments, time lost for hospitalization, etc.).

In addition, new jobs would be created in association with the construction, operation, and maintenance of the project. Increase market value of land is also expected in association with the significant improvements to the project site.

More importantly, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through the avoidance of landfilling municipal solid waste (“MSW”).

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash