The innovation was set but the improvements continued for the country’s first ever state-of-the-art equipment for Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Cebu City.

No less than Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga lauded the Cebu MRF facility of the Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS) in Barangay Binaliw in Cebu City.

“I need not tell you how groundbreaking this is because this is in fact the first in the country. It’s efforts like this that make our job possible…The first thing we need to do in this country is regard the solid waste management sector as an industry and for that, it needs to realize the efficiencies according to scale,” said Loyzaga during the inauguration of the facility.

“Investments will not make sense without all the moving parts put on the table and that includes local governance, environmental management; that includes private investment with government and aligned with government in addressing these particular issues,” she added.

Mary Jane Montejo, chief executive officer of Agalon Garbage Hauler  said that since the PWS took over the facility in 2022, it has implemented significant improvements by enhancing operational efficiencies and positively impacting both the environment and local communities.

“The shift has been nothing short of remarkable.  It is evident how efficiency and productivity for waste diversion has been enhanced, not to mention the quality of the output as well. Because of this, less waste has been diverted to the landfill,” said Montejo.

The firm has been utilizing equipment from Europe and Asia in processing up to 1,000 tons of received solid waste per day, among them are vibrating sieves, baler systems, magnetic separators, and an air density separator.

The focus is on significantly limiting landfilled waste to 20 percent or less—the approach leads to reduced organic waste ending up decomposing and producing harmful methane emissions.

Raquiel Montecillo, owner of Marquiel Trading and Hauling Services, said the transition from a landfill operation into an MRF had not hampered operations in any way.

This, she said, allowed the facility to operate continuously for 24 hours in one week.

“This showcased commendable integration of automated systems alongside existing processes. From improved throughput to enhanced quality control measures, it is evident that the additional waste processing equipment has greatly improved the waste diversion process as a whole,”  said Montecillo.

The facility also uses an automated RFID system implemented by PWS which allows efficient monitoring of dump trucks coming in and out of the facility, as well as the improved road network, allowing waste haulers better turnaround time for dispatch and scheduling. 

“Overall, the changes initiated and completed by PIWSI have been beneficial not only to the company, but also to its customers and the environment as well,” she said.