The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said it has tapped a "Department of Science and Technology (DOST)-approved Filipino patent" for its flood mitigation efforts.
The agency unveiled Thursday morning, March 18 its first ever "granulator and brick-making facility" at its Vitas Pumping Station in Tondo, Manila.
MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos said during the inauguration ceremony that these facilities will not only help reduce solid waste but also prolong the service life of landfills.
“It is my ardent hope that through our initiatives under the Metro Manila Flood Management Project, we will be able to reduce the risks to vulnerable communities due to flooding and excessive waste generation,” he said.
Solid waste dumped in waterways usually end up at pumping stations, the agency noted.
According to the MMDA, bio-waste and plastics collected at pumping stations will be converted into useful by-products such as bricks, eco-hollow blocks, eco-concrete barriers, and bio-waste compost materials.
Abalos said the installation of solid waste granulator and brick-making facility would avert damages to these pumping stations as a result of the garbage.
“Let us maximize all the available platforms and aim for sustainable and synergized solutions to prevent disastrous effects of flooding caused by garbage,” he said.
The collected waste will be disinfected first before initial sorting can be carried out by personnel. Sorted wastes will then be placec on an inclined surveyor where they will undergo final sorting and segregation.
Biodegradable and plastic waste will be granulated on the bio-waste granulator equipment while glass materials will be crushed through a bottle crushing machine.
Biodegradable waste will either be composted or turned into charcoal briquette, while plastic and glass materials will be processed either into bricks, hollow blocks, or concrete barriers.
Both the granulator and brick-making facility are part of the Metro Manila Flood Management Project aimed at improving flood management in selected areas in the metropolis.