Waste management facility opens in Lapu-Lapu

CEBU, Philippines —  Lapu-Lapu City now has a private waste management facility that converts solid waste to usable materials and will soon provide training to waste collectors.

The facility owned by Vic Metal Fabrication and Environmental Services Incorporated sits on a one hectare property in Sitio Soong, Barangay Mactan. Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan and DENR-Environmental Management Bureau Director William Cuñado led its inauguration and groundbreaking Thursday last week.

Cuñado lauded the company for helping the Lapu-Lapu City government and private companies in the city in managing their waste and sewage.

 “Lapu-Lapu City is a tourist area, kabalo man ta nga kung masira ang environment nato sa Lapu-Lapu, ang atong mga properties mo-decline sab kay wala nama'y value, so atong i-prevent ni siya, mao ning atong gibuhat karon,” said Victoriano Ocon, president and chief executive officer of VMF.

For now, Ocon said they only accept solid and liquid waste from the city. However, the facility will open to all companies outside of Lapu-Lapu City and even other local government units once they start their training center by the second quarter of next year. He promised to help teach each town in the province the proper waste disposal.

Ocon added that the company is willing to sell its waste management system to any interested LGU. The VMF is capable of processing 220 tons of solid waste daily. With a number of treatment ponds, its sewage treatment plant (STP) can treat 150,000 to 200,000 liters of sewage water daily.

Its covered facility has the size of two huge gymnasiums with various equipment to process solid wastes.

Engr. Jonathan Capeding, VMF operations head, said it has a 50-meter long automatic waste segregation machine that sorts out organic items, plastics, glass and metal. The facility also has a heavy-duty crusher to break hard and even pulverize waste materials, shredders to reduce plastics and rubber into smaller pieces, and a composter that processes organic materials into compost.

It also has an incinerator equipped with air purifier that is capable of burning waste without producing harmful smoke.

“Ang kadtong malata himoong fertilizer, ang dili malata naa tay option nga himoon natong chair, bricks, himoon natong hollow blocks. Kung sobra kadaghan di' maapas ato ibaligya sa Cemex paliton sab nila,” said Ocon in a statement.

Although they have yet to come up with a formal working agreement with the mayor, Ocon said they already supplied the city with waste processing equipment.

The city government’s Solid Waste Management Office, the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in particular, is already manufacturing concrete slabs mixed with shredded plastics, for walkways and sidewalks. — FPL (FREEMAN)