THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said waste-to-fuel co-processing could be a sustainable solid waste management solution.
The DENR issued the statement after Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga toured the new shredder platform of Republic Cement in Taysan, Batangas.
Republic Cement maintains a waste-to-fuel co-processing operation under a joint venture between the Aboitiz Group and Irish building materials company CHR.
Co-processing converts waste into an alternative fuel for cement manufacturing plants.
Republic Cement uses alternative fuels and raw materials in cement manufacturing.
It can reuse or recover the thermal and mineral properties of waste materials, such as residual plastic or rice husk, as alternative fuels.
“Over 890 dump trucks filled with plastic waste have been processed through strong multi-stakeholder collaboration with materials collection and recovery groups and local government units,” the DENR said.
“Using solid waste as fuel enabled the company to avoid potential methane emissions at landfill sites while at the same time decreasing the carbon intensity of its cement products,” it added. — Sheldeen Joy Talavera