TACLOBAN CITY — Guiuan, Eastern Samar has strengthened its efforts to address solid waste amid challenges in establishing a conventional landfill with the inauguration of a P25-million waste management facility designed to turn discarded materials into reusable products.
The Guiuan Resources Ecocycling, Extraction, and Neutralization (GREEN) Facility, located at the municipality’s Eco-Waste Park, was formally inaugurated Tuesday, Sept. 15.
The facility was funded by the NAC Foundation Inc. (NACFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of Nickel Asia Corp., to support the municipality’s solid waste management and resource recovery programs.
It is designed to process biodegradable waste into compost and organic fertilizer, while recyclable and non-biodegradable materials will be converted into eco-bricks, pavers and other reusable products.
NAC President and CEO Martin Antonio Zamora and NACFI President Jose Bayani Baylon joined Guiuan Mayor Annaliz Gonzales-Kwan, Eastern Samar Vice Gov. Maria Caridad Goteesan and other local officials during the inauguration.
Gonzales-Kwan said the facility would complement existing municipal programs and increase Guiuan’s capacity to manage its growing waste problem.
“This facility will help us face the challenge and supplement the effort and strategy of the local government unit of Guiuan,” she said.
The mayor said the facility is particularly important because much of Guiuan’s underground geology is characterized by sinkhole-prone areas, according to the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
These geological conditions make establishing a conventional sanitary landfill difficult, while open dumping is prohibited under existing environmental laws.
The municipality has instead developed its Eco-Waste Park, which brings together several waste-management initiatives in one area.
Guiuan already operates a material recovery facility that processes waste into fertilizer and a plastic char factory that converts single-use plastics into school chairs.
Gonzales-Kwan said these initiatives, however, have limited capacity to address the waste generated by a growing municipality.
“This Integrated Solid Waste Management System is designed to address solid waste management at the larger scale,” she said.
The system is expected to increase Guiuan’s waste-processing capacity, maximize limited land resources and encourage residents and other stakeholders to become more responsible in handling waste.
Zamora said NAC Foundation hopes the new facility will allow Guiuan to transform waste into resources that can benefit the community.
“We hope that this new waste infrastructure will help Guiuan turn waste into useful resources, rich compost for farm soil, and sturdy eco-bricks that can help build local projects,” he said.
Zamora also said the foundation would help the municipal government address operational requirements, including improving the local power supply to enable the facility to operate at full capacity.
“Through this partnership, we hope to empower Guiuan to not only envision a resilient future but to take decisive actionable steps towards building a truly sustainable community,” he said.
The facility is expected to reduce the amount of waste requiring disposal while creating potential livelihood opportunities through the production of compost, organic fertilizer, eco-bricks and other recycled products.
The project also highlights the partnership between the local government and private sector in promoting resource recovery and more sustainable solid waste management in Guiuan.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
