Pasig gov't, USAID open 'Eco Hub'
In a bid to improve the city’s waste management capacities, the Pasig local government recently opened the new Pasig Eco Hub in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Pasig Eco Hub, located in Barangay Manggahan, is a waste management facility that functions similarly as a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), wherein low-value plastic or single-use plastics can be processed and turned into bricks and pavers as alternative construction materials in some of the city's infrastructure projects.
Organic waste can also be mulched into at least a ton of compost per day that will be used to process the bricks and pavers.
The project is funded through the USAID Clean Cities, Blue Ocean grant for Green Antz Builders, Inc.
Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Vice Mayor Robert "Dodot" Jaworski Jr., Rep. Roman Romulo, Councilors Quin Cruz and Kiko Rustia, and City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) head Allendri Angeles graced the launch of the eco hub on behalf of the local government.
Among the officials from the affiliated organizations who joined the program were USAID Deputy Chief of Mission Y. Robert Ewing, Green Antz Builders Inc. CEO and Co-Founder Rommel Benig; and Clean Cities, Blue Ocean Philippines Country Director Joel Palma.
Sotto said that the local government will continue to improve its waste management practices and strengthen its policies, noting that, although the facilities will help, the infrastructure is not the end point of action.
"It's behaviorally about adopting these new things. It's completely new to the city government, but if we work together, different stakeholders come together and help one another, then certainly we can do a much better job," said the mayor.
Jaworski added that the new eco hub is one of the solutions that will help reduce plastics that often clog the city's canals and other waterways.
"In a polluted world, we aim to deliver a cleaner environment and the little that we can do in a small city such as Pasig, we hope will go a long way. We hope it will be the first of many facilities. I wish that we will be able to continue this partnership, look for new technologies to produce and promote the circular economy," said the vice mayor.
Meanwhile, Councilor Rustia emphasized the difficulties in "managing the environmental concerns of a highly urbanized and industrialized city like Pasig which is where two of the Philippines' major rivers are located."
"In our quest to preserve our environment, we should not forget the socio-economic issues of the masses. If we can address the problems that the masses face, then it's easier for us to find more allies in the environment," he added.