In a bid to ease environmental concerns about unmanaged solid waste while securing more energy sources, a measure that promotes waste-to-energy (WTE) technology has advanced in the Senate after being endorsed for plenary approval.
In a report by Business Mirror, the measure was endorsed by Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, along with co-authors Sen. Bong Revilla and Sen. Francisco Tolentino.
Tolentino said that he has been hoping for clear measures that support WTE projects since his days as chairman of the MMDA.
Tulfo said he sees the potential of WTE as a potential renewable energy source and a fundamental pillar of the country’s energy strategy.
Under the proposed measure, WTE will be included in the Philippine Energy Plan (PEP), signifying a shift to a more sustainable and diversified energy portfolio.
The country currently has 13 WTE plants. However, only six are operational.
Tulfo said that there is a need to measure the advantages of WTE technology, adding that there is a way to address “both our energy and garbage problems.”
For Revilla, the country’s issues with solid waste have affected the lives of Filipinos. He has committed to supporting the establishment of national energy policies and regulatory frameworks in utilizing WTE technologies in the country.
Data from the Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) states that the country’s generated waste could reach 92 million tons between 2022 to 2025. The authors noted that the country’s solid waste disposal system can’t handle the “continuously increasing amount of household and domestic wastes that we produce.”
The bill looks to encourage the development of environmentally sustainable innovations “in the recovery, conservation, processing, treatment, and disposal of solid waste by using waste-to-energy (WTE) technologies.”
Waste-to-Energy, as defined by the US Energy Information Administration, “burn municipal solid waste (MSW), often called garbage or trash, to produce steam in a boiler, and the steam is used to power an electric generator turbine.”