Prime Infra unit starts first auto MRF plant

Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS), a subsidiary of Enrique Razon’s Prime Infra, has inaugurated the country’s first automated materials recovery facility (MRF) that will help address solid waste management problems.

The automated MRF located in Cebu uses state-of-the-art equipment for waste segregation and storage.

Prime Infra said PWS procured equipment from Europe and Asia such as vibrating sieves, baler systems, magnetic separators, as well as air density separator to maximize resource recovery leading to landfill avoidance, thus preventing over 15,000 tons of methane emissions per annum.

“The state-of-the-art materials recovery facility embodies innovation and our commitment to building a regenerative future,” PWS chair Katrina Razon said.

“We acknowledge the importance of responsible waste management in safeguarding our environment and the well-being of future generations. We recognize that every single one of you is a steward for a new way forward in the Philippines,” she said.

Prime Infra said PWS is also expanding its operations by developing other facilities across the country.

PWS was established in response to the increasing demand for proper waste management and resource recovery solutions in industrialized and fast-growing cities in the country.

The company’s model is based on Prime Infra’s overall objective to convert recovered resources into sustainable fuels.

“We saw how critical the demand was for proper waste management solutions through materials recovery facilities where we can sort, segregate and process – not just for our own sites, but also for cities or areas in need of proper waste disposal facilities,” Prime Infra market sector lead for waste Cara Peralta said.

“Although we’ve come far, there is still much work to be done. PWS’ mission does not end with sorting, segregating, and stacking bales of waste. It ends with waste value creation,” she said.

Peralta said the goal of PWS is to further enhance its process flow as well as turn waste into sustainable fuels to further reduce methane emissions and for the country to be able to provide sustainable fuels to the global market.

The Department of Energy in February 2022 issued a department circular which prescribes the policies and programs to promote and enhance the development of biomass waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities in the country.

The agency sees biomass WTE facilities simultaneously addressing local government units’ solid waste management problems as well as provision of additional source of power.