With the goal of helping solve some of the problems brought about by garbage and flooding in the country.
During his inspection of the Tripa de Gallina Pumping Station in Pasay City on Thursday, August 20, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government is now working on waste-to-energy programs that may be implemented by 2027.
“And that’s what we are trying to attend to now, with our waste-to-energy programs which as I’m sure you have heard, the Department of Energy is already starting to auction,” said President Marcos.
He continued, “So, nagbi-bid na sila tungkol doon sa waste-to-energy project. Mas medyo mabilis naman ‘yan, at ‘yung waste-to-energy it should be…. As long as the financing is fixed and is available, I think we will be able to put those into action by next year.”
In an earlier statement, the DOE said it has begun the registration of Qualified Suppliers last May for the Special Auction Round for Waste-to-Energy (WTE) under the Green Energy Auction Program, formally opening activities for the 230-megawatt auction dedicated to thermal combustion WTE technology.
Through this landmark WTE auction, the DOE said it continues to support a cleaner, more sustainable, and resilient future for the country.
President Marcos said the government is now working to create compost from collected garbage.
“That’s why they are creating compost, none of the organic waste goes to waste…. Lahat ng organic waste nagagamit. It is all of the other inorganic waste that is being thrown into our systems. ‘Yan ang — diyan tayo nagkakaproblema,” President Marcos said.
WASTE-TO-ENERGY VIA BIOGAS
Meanwhile, a case study by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Dipolog City in Zamboanga Peninsula showed how a farm was able to convert its accumulated wazter into power through an established biogas digester facility.
Lester Uy Ong, owner of the seven-hectare poultry and livestock farm called the Rockefeller Farm, said that the waste from more than 100,000 chickens and pigs housed in the farm is collected in their dug three-storey-deep pit, where microorganisms eat it up and help convert it into energy.
These select microorganisms break down the manure into simple molecules enough for other microbes to feast on.
Now, when they digest these, these organisms will eventually “burp out” gases, such as methane that is then converted into electricity through their biogas generator.
Currently, the Rockefeller has one biogas generator capable of 300 kilovolt-amperes (KVA), which can power the whole farm for 15 hours, comparable to lighting up an entire rural barangay.
Before the establishment of the biogas facility, the farm spent about PHP900,000 on electricity per month to power two buildings of chicken and pig housing, sorting facilities, and other maintenance costs.
“Kapag may biogas na generator, magiging free na ito o ma-minimize sa 40,000 o 50,000 pesos na babayaran pa,” added Lester, who also noted that the shift helped the farm improve production..
“Yung pinaproduce namin, hindi naman din ganun pa karami as of now. Kaya, in the future, we’re planning to expand,” he said.
Aside from their main supplies, the biogas digester facility also produces high-quality fertilizers that can be either used on their own farm or distributed to their workers for their crops.
Moreover, the farm observes circular and sustainable practices such as treating their wastewater for reuse in farming maintenance, especially in animal waste disposal, both aligned with the standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
“Ang gusto ko is to share ito (biogas digester facility) at gawin nating modern ang mga landfill. Kasi ang landfill, mas maraming mapo-produce na biogas ‘yon,” Ong also said, sharing that one landfill is capable of producing electric power enough to light up five to 10 barangays.
The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) aided in the upgrade of Rockefeller Farm through the Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP) initiative, which provided five-million pesos of funding to acquire the biogas digester facility.
