“The scale and consequences of this crisis are growing. But we can turn this crisis into opportunity”
METRO Manila produces more than 11,000 tons of municipal solid waste daily.
Most of this is still dumped in landfills or open disposal sites, occupying scarce land, releasing harmful methane, and worsening flood risks across the metropolis.
The scale and consequences of this crisis are growing. But we can turn this crisis into opportunity.
WtE (waste to energy) refers to technologies that convert municipal solid waste, or what we throw out daily, into usable energy such as electricity. The most established form is thermal treatment (typically through controlled combustion), which significantly reduces waste volume while recovering energy.
Other methods include gasification, pyrolysis, and anaerobic digestion. WtE reduces landfill dependence by up to 90 percent, helping manage urban waste more sustainably.
WtE offers the Philippines a proven, clean, and climate-aligned solution to tackle this problem head-on. WtE plants are not incinerators of the past.
They are advanced, emissions-controlled, and internationally regulated facilities that safely convert residual waste into usable electricity, dramatically reduce landfill volume, and protect public health.
Methane, released by decaying organic waste in landfills, is over 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
WtE facilities intercept this trajectory by diverting waste from landfills and neutralizing methane production at the source.
For a country like the Philippines, among the most vulnerable to climate change, this is frontline climate action strategy.
Today’s WtE technologies use multi-stage pollution control systems. including baghouse filters, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for nitrogen oxides, spray dryers for acid gases, and activated carbon for dioxins and heavy metals.
These facilities operate under the Philippine Green Energy Act or RA 8749 and DENR DAO 2019-21 and are equipped with Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems for full transparency.
More than just technology, WtE brings jobs, clean energy, and long-term savings. Local governments spend billions annually on hauling and tipping fees. WtE allows that money to work harder by generating electricity, creating employment, and freeing up land otherwise locked in for decades as dumpsites.
WtE complements existing solid waste management strategies by addressing residual waste that cannot be composted or recycled.
It also aligns with national targets under the Renewable Energy Act, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act, and climate commitments made by the Philippines under the Paris Agreement.
WtE is not simply anti-recycling.
In reality, it only processes residual waste, the leftover fraction that cannot be composted or recycled. In successful global models, WtE strengthens segregation, incentivizing proper sorting and penalizing contamination.
Under the Philippine Renewable Energy Act and Clean Air Act, WtE is not only permitted but fully supported.
Projects like the Manila WtE facility are being developed through Public-Private Partnerships where private investors assume upfront risks in return for long-term performance-based fees. This allows local governments to modernize systems without massive capital costs
As urban areas grow, WtE offers a path toward cleaner cities and more resilient energy systems.
SC ruling: ‘Wrong from A to Z’
In our Saturday News Forum last week, Atty. Antonio Audie Bucoy, spokesperson of the House prosecution panel, made several pointed statements regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to declare the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional.
At the outset, Atty. Bucoy urged respect for the Supreme Court, but with a challenge. He emphasized the House is not defying the Supreme Court but is appealing its decision through a motion for reconsideration.
He described the motion as a respectful plea: “This is to call your attention, to plead that you revisit your decision which we think is wrong from A to Z”.
Bucoy argued that the alleged violation of Duterte’s right to due process—one of the Supreme Court’s reasons for junking the impeachment—is best addressed through a Senate trial.
“The due process mechanism is in the Constitution, which is the trial at the Senate,” he said.
According to Bucoy, the Senate’s decision to archive rather than table the case creates unnecessary hurdles should the SC later rule in favor of the House’s motion for reconsideration.
“With the archiving, there are more layers. A senator would have to move to revive it or take it out of the archive. That will be subject to a vote. What if they vote against it?”
Bucoy assured media, however, that the House will abide by the Supreme Court’s final ruling, stating, “The House will not cause a constitutional crisis. The reason, the catalyst, for a Constitutional crisis will never be caused by the House”. (Email: ernhil@yahoo.com)
