We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalised ads or content, and analyse our traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies.
Customise Consent Preferences
We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.
The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ...
Always Active
Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.
No cookies to display.
Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.
No cookies to display.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
No cookies to display.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
No cookies to display.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.
Prime Infra Deploys River Waste Trap in Cebu, Targets Ocean-Bound Plastic
April 13, 2025
1
Prime Infra, together with its social arm, Prime Infra Foundation, and waste management company, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS), has partnered with RiverRecycle to stop plastic waste at
Prime Infra, together with its social arm, Prime Infra Foundation, and waste management company, Prime Integrated Waste Solutions (PWS), has partnered with RiverRecycle to stop plastic waste at the source, aiming to prevent around 97,000 kilograms of debris from reaching the ocean annually.
In a statement, Razon-led Prime Infra said RiverRecycle, a global enterprise focused on stopping river-borne plastic from reaching oceans, has deployed a boom along a key stretch of the Kinalumsan River in Cebu City’s Barangay Mabaling.
Of the projected 97,000 kilograms of intercepted waste, over 13,000 kilograms are expected to be plastic. This initiative is part of Prime Infra’s broader strategy to reduce waste leakage from land to sea.
“There’s so much to work on in terms of waste management and proper disposal in the country, and part of that involves the collection of waste. When you partner with companies like RiverRecycle, which focuses on different aspects of logistics, such as the rivers where waste accumulates, then it is in perfect synergy with what we do at PWS,” said Cara Peralta, Prime Infra Market Sector Lead for Waste.
PWS operates an advanced materials recovery facility (MRF) in Cebu with a daily capacity of 1,000 tons. The facility focuses on waste segregation, recycling, and recovery, helping to reduce landfill dependence and limit the amount of garbage that ends up in rivers.
RiverRecycle Founder and CEO Anssi Mikola explained plastics break down into harmful microplastics once in the water, making prevention of waste leakage through rivers a key priority.
“The way we see it, the most important thing is to stop waste from reaching the ocean in the short term, because that’s where it causes the most harm and is the hardest to clean up. That’s why we are focusing on rivers, as they are the last manageable point to remove waste before it becomes an insurmountable problem,” he said.
RiverRecycle’s cleanup systems are designed to handle various types of debris, including low-value plastics. The company has developed technology that can convert collected plastic into usable materials, creating opportunities for reuse and recycling.
“Partnering with Prime Waste Solutions is really like a showcase for us because there’s very few places where we work where you actually have an industrial-sized material recovery facility that is able to aim for zero waste to landfill,” Mikola added.
PWS currently operates two of the country’s only automated MRFs—one in Cebu and one in Pampanga. These facilities are equipped with vibrating sieves, baling systems, and magnetic separators. They are designed to increase resource recovery and minimize the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
In reducing landfill volume, these facilities also help limit methane emissions from organic waste decomposition—one of the key contributors to climate change.
Want to learn more about how private sector partnerships can clean up Philippine rivers? Follow Power Philippines on Facebook and LinkedIn for the latest updates!
At the forefront of energy reporting in the country, Power Philippines delivers sharp, data-driven journalism for industry leaders, policymakers, investors, and everyday consumers. We cover the most urgent stories across power generation, renewable energy, policy, and sustainability, with a focus on the Philippine energy transition and its global context. Our editorial team is committed to clarity, integrity, and impact—bringing complex issues into focus and shaping informed public discourse.
Editor-in-Chief: Mayie Macuja-Tanglao Managing Editor: Naomi Ruth Ganhinhin Writer: Rafael Jesus Benedicto