Prime Infrastructure Capital Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS) on Wednesday inaugurated their large-scale, automated materials recovery facility (MRF) in Porac, Pampanga.
Prime Infra president and chief executive Guillaume Lucci said the company aims to industrialize the waste business in the Philippines at a high scale through PWS.
“This expansion in Luzon, starting in Pampanga—and we want to thank again the host province and host municipalities for this—really demonstrates our commitment to industrialize this market which is the natural next step for waste management in the country,” Lucci said.
The Pampanga MRF is the first greenfield development of PWS and the company’s second operational facility next to Cebu City.
PWS was established in response to the increasing demand for proper waste management and resource recovery solutions in industrialized and fast-growing cities in the Philippines. Its business model is based on Prime Infra’s objective of converting recovered resources into sustainable fuels.
“Our current waste management process is really built around resource recovery. We plan to invest in a waste-to-fuel facility here that will convert the waste into fuel for ships, airplanes, trucks, and so on and so forth. This is an integral part of Prime Infra’s sustainability initiatives,” Lucci said.
Prime Infra market sector lead for waste Cara Peralta said the Pampanga facility offers a “new age of waste disposal.”
PWS uses state-of-the-art equipment procured from Europe and Asia such as vibrating sieves, baler systems, magnetic separators and air density separator to maximize resource recovery.
The Pampanga facility can accommodate up to 5,000 tons per day of municipal solid waste.
“We commit to recover and recycle 80 percent to 90 percent of total waste received. We look forward to serving you and becoming partners in this journey, and to meet Prime Infra’s original objective of turning waste into sustainable fuels. Together, we can provide the right waste solutions for the Philippines and beyond,” said Peralta.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga lauded the PWS’ utilization of state-of-the-art equipment for waste segregation and storage.
“It is truly inspiring to witness how Prime Infra companies as well as the government—national and local—have come together to build a healthier, safer, and cleaner environment for all of us,” she said.
She said the Philippines generates about 61,000 metric tons of waste daily, with 33 percent ending up in landfills, and 35 percent leaked into the open environment.
“I would like to say that the company’s utilization of this state-of-the-art equipment transforms the strategy for resource recovery and also links it to our fuel transition,” Loyzaga said.
“We in the DENR is here to applaud the investment of Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. and the local government for taking this big step together. We look forward to seeing more such facilities in the future, and we’re here to support each and every LGU in their journey towards a climate-resilient and environmentally safe future,” she said.
Pampanga Governor Pineda emphasized how proud he is for Pampanga to have such a facility that would be of help in the provincial government’s solid waste management program.
Tarlac Governor Susan Yap echoed the sentiment of Pineda, saying she was pleased at seeing the MRF equipment onsite.
Porac Mayor Jaime Capil also expressed thanks for choosing the municipality of Porac as the location of PWS’ facility.
