A PHP25-million waste management facility was formally inaugurated in Guiuan, Eastern Samar on Wednesday, as part of efforts to strengthen the municipality’s solid waste management and turn discarded materials into useful products.
The Guiuan Resource Extraction, Ecocycling and Neutralization (GREEN) Facility, located at the municipality’s Eco-Waste Park, was designed to process biodegradable waste into compost and organic fertilizer and convert recyclable and non-biodegradable materials into eco-bricks, pavers, and other reusable products.
The project was funded by NAC Foundation Inc. (NACFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of Nickel Asia Corp.
NAC President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Antonio Zamora and NACFI President Jose Bayani Baylon joined Guiuan Mayor Annaliz Gonzales-Kwan, Eastern Samar Vice Governor Maria Caridad Goteesan, and other local officials during the inauguration.
Gonzales-Kwan said the facility would complement the local government’s existing waste management programs and help establish a more efficient, sustainable and responsive solid waste management system in the municipality.
“This facility will help us face the challenge and supplement the effort and strategy of the local government unit of Guiuan,” she said.
Gonzales-Kwan underscored the project’s importance, noting that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR-EMB) classifies much of Guiuan’s underground geology as sinkhole-prone. Consequently, building a conventional sanitary landfill is difficult, while open dumping remains illegal under existing environmental laws.
She said the Eco-Waste Park provides the municipality with an alternative by integrating several waste management initiatives in one area.
Guiuan already operates a material recovery facility that processes waste into fertilizer. The municipality also has a plastic char factory that converts single-use plastics into school chairs.
Gonzales-Kwan said these initiatives, however, are not enough to meet the waste management needs of a growing municipality.
“This Integrated Solid Waste Management System is designed to address solid waste management at the larger scale,” she said.
The system is expected to increase the municipality’s capacity to manage waste, maximize its limited space and promote greater responsibility in waste handling, she added.
For his part, Zamora said NACFI hopes the facility will help Guiuan transform waste into resources that can benefit the community.
“We hope that this new waste infrastructure will help Guiuan turn waste into useful resources, rich compost for farm soil, and sturdy eco-bricks that can help build local projects,” he said.
Zamora said the foundation would also assist the local government in ensuring that the facility has the requirements needed for smooth operations, including upgrading the local power supply so it can operate at full capacity.
“Through this partnership, we hope to empower Guiuan to not only envision a resilient future but to take decisive, actionable steps towards building a truly sustainable community,” he said.
The facility is expected to reduce the volume of waste sent for disposal while creating livelihood opportunities through the production of compost, organic fertilizer, eco-bricks, and other recycled products.
Officials said the inauguration marked not only the turnover of the facility to the municipality but also a strengthened partnership between the local government and the private sector in promoting resource recovery and sustainable waste management. (PNA)
