ADB, P&G eyes waste-to-energy power plants in PHL

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a technical assistance plan worth $385,000 to determine the feasibility and sustainability of establishing waste-to-energy power plants in the Philippines.   Manila-based ADB and consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) are leading proponents to the initiative that “aims to eliminate the need for landfill,” the bank said in a statement Friday.   The multilateral lender said the plan is equivalent to 60 percent of the project cost. If found viable and sustainable, a 2-megawatt waste-to-energy facility will be built starting 2016. “Less than one percent of the waste is expected to remain after processing, and this will mostly be material that may be recycled for use in products like asphalt,” it added.   According to ADB investment specialist Jose Manuel Limjap, “the disposal of municipal solid waste is a serious environmental and social challenge.”   “This is the kind of innovative project that brings the public and private sectors together to tackle a problem seen throughout the developing world. Successfully piloting an integrated solid waste management system means it could be replicated in other parts of the world,” he added.   The project also seeks to expand the municipal solid waste management system into a profitable business model, which can be implemented in other areas where necessary.   According to ADB, Metro Manila generates around 6,700 tons of solid waste daily, but only 720 tons are recycled or composted, with the rest being openly burned or dumped in landfills or illegally on private property and waterways – resulting in air pollution and soil and groundwater contamination. — Amanda Lago/VS, GMA News