Plastic waste to fuel SMC cement plants

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) will utilize its plastic waste to fuel its cement manufacturing facilities as part of its sustainability efforts.

SMC affiliate Northern Cement Corp.(NCC) is capable of consuming 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 waste.

SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said that with technology, it is easy to convert plastic waste to energy.

“Northern Cement has been using this on a smaller scale. 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,” Ang said.

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

“With our materials handling facility ready, we can now expand this program,” Ang said.

He urged assemblers, local governments and companies to collect and sell their plastic waste to SMC.

“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 said.

The cement which NCC will produce will be used by the construction industry, which in turn is seen creating more jobs for Filipinos especially in this time of COVID-19.

“We continue to look for actual solutions where we can get the best outcome for the greatest number of people,” Ang said.

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.

In 2017, SMC discontinued its Purewater plastic bottled water business to demonstrate its commitment to greater sustainability.

Last year, SMC built the country’s first asphalt road using recycled plastic waste. This was done for a company- owned logistics facility used by vehicles with heavy loads as part of a pilot test to determine its viability.