Clark-based company, int’l partner eye $250-M waste-to-energy facility

Metro Clark Waste Management (MCWM), which operates a 100-hectare disposal facility in Clark, Pampanga, is pushing for its proposal to set up a waste-to-energy (WTE) project aligned with the country’s sustainability efforts.

The project, which would bring to the Philippines total investments of $220 million to $250 million, would be at no cost to the government as it would be funded by MCWM and its partner, Plambeck-Emirates.

Plambeck-Emirates is a joint venture between Plambeck Germany, a publicly listed firm with extensive experience in renewable energy projects, and the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi.

In a statement, MCWM said the consortium has already submitted its unsolicited proposal to the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) in 2019.

A flagship waste-to-energy project for the Philippines, the proposal is designed to reduce by up to 70 percent the volume of waste to be disposed in MCWM’s landfill in Clark.

BCDA has yet to respond to the proposal but proponents are hoping to commence with the project as soon as possible, as part of a comprehensive waste management solution that MCWM said is already proven elsewhere in the world as an effective strategy to minimize waste.

“MCWM is ready and eager to start groundbreaking on a WTE facility as soon as the concession is renewed, having previously submitted a proposal for the same in 2019,” the company said.

A key feature of the proposed Integrated Waste Management System is a waste-to-energy power plant that will utilize waste as fuel.

MCWM is the leading waste management company in the Philippines, which has been operating for the past 20 years. It is the second largest landfill operator by volume, and is the only facility that exceeds all environmental requirements.

At present, the company serves more than 150 local government units and 1,000 industrial clients in Central Luzon.

For its LGU clients, MCWM does not do house-to-house trash collection. Instead, the waste is picked up from designated pick-up points where the waste is segregated. The company only accepts “residual waste” from LGUs and treated hazardous waste.

Permitted and closely monitored by the DENR, the company accepts medical and industrial waste, which must first be treated by accredited treatment facilities that employ specialized techniques and processes before these can be accepted at MCWM’s disposal site. MCWM has separate areas for regular household and treated medical and industrial waste.

MCWM is the only facility in Southeast Asia certified under ISO for Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14000), Occupational Health and Safety (ISO 45001) and Quality Management System (ISO9001).