Firm urges industries to use treated wastewater to cut on costs

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Mactan Rock Industries, Inc., a company that provides water system solutions, wants industries and local governments to consider treated wastewater as a low-cost and energy-efficient alternative for non-potable water use. Last week, the firm installed a P2.5-million wastewater treatment facility at the Cebu City Jail to show that the use of treated wastewater for non-potable uses could bring down water costs and electricity consumption. "This is our best-selling technology. There’s an economic value for waste now," Mactan Rock President Antonio P. Tompar said. The technology is also being used in at least three Waterfront hotels, Dos Palmas Arreceffi Resort in Puerto Princesa, Maribago Bluewater in Mactan and several other hotels. Mr. Tompar said Waterfront’s water bills were reduced by half with the use of treated wastewater for non-potable use. "[Waterfront] used to pay up to P200,000 a month for their water supply. Now, they pay us only P90,000 a month [for treated wastewater]," he said. Non-potable uses include cleaning, flushing the toilet and watering the plants. Power consumption is also reduced since a wastewater treatment facility uses only 0.1 to 0.2 kilowatt per cubic meter, while other systems use up to 1.5 kilowatts per cubic meter, Mr. Tompar said. For the city jail, the local government will pay only P15 per cubic meter or P45,000 a month for a daily consumption of 100 cubic meters. This is just a third of the cost of water from other bulk suppliers, which average P48 per cubic meter. Mr. Tompar said the use of treated wastewater at the city jail would also improve health and sanitation for the facility’s more than 2,000 inmates because its existing 100-cubic-meter daily water supply would now be used for potable purposes as well as for taking a bath. "Other inmates there don’t take a bath for days because the 100 cubic meters of water a day is not enough for everybody to take a shower daily. With the wastewater treatment facility, sanitation will improve," he said. Mactan Rock installed the wastewater treatment facility at the jail for P2.5 million. Although it processes about 100 cubic meters of wastewater a day, it can treat up to 400 cubic meters daily. The company is initially running the facility, but it will be turned over to the city government once jail authorities are trained on how to run it. — Marites S. Villamor, BusinessWorld