San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is planning to buy bigger volumes of plastic wastes to fuel its cement manufacturing facilities as it ramps up efforts to help manage the country's solid wastes and create more livelihood opportunities during the pandemic.

This comes after a string of major sustainability efforts SMC has launched recently that include discontinuing its plastic bottled water business, building the country’s first recycled plastics road, and spending P1 billion to rid major river systems of garbage.

Northern Cement Corporation (NCC), an affiliate of SMC, is capable of burning up to 1.5 million tons of plastic waste per year. It is targeting to reduce use of traditional fuel by up to 50 percent and substitute this with plastic wastes.  

“Technology to safely convert plastic waste to energy has existed for a long time, in fact, Northern Cement has been using this on a smaller scale," SMC president and COO Ramon S. Ang said.

He added that, “Other major manufacturers, both locally and globally, have also been using this. It’s a more environment-friendly and sustainable alternative to using traditional fuels.”

The company’s plan to expand and ramp up its use of plastic wastes for energy for NCC can now be implemented with the completion of its materials handling facility in Pangasinan.

With this, the company can safely collect and store plastic waste at scale and safely convert waste into energy to reduce landfill waste, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions. 

“With our materials handling facility ready, we can now expand this program. We are calling on assemblers, local governments, and companies, to collect and sell your plastic wastes to us,” Ang said.

He noted that, “Together, we can help our environment in a substantial way, and at the same time, create more livelihood opportunities for so many Filipinos during this time of pandemic.”

Ang highlighted that collecting and assembling plastic wastes could provide many struggling Filipinos with an additional or alternative source of income--even as the country continues to cope with the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic--similar to how glass bottle collectors have become an integral part of SMC’s supply chain and recycling process for many, many decades now.

Apart from providing jobs, the cement produced will also go to the construction industry, which also generates a significant amount of jobs, in addition to driving infrastructure development and economic growth.

“Instead of just hoping for a better tomorrow, we continue to look for actual solutions where we can get the best outcome for the greatest number of people,” Ang added.

While NCC’s technology can allow for all types of plastics to be processed and converted to energy, Ang said they are especially targeting plastic bottles, which make up a significant amount of total plastic waste in the world.(James A. Loyola)