Tacloban wants to use plasma tech to curb increasing volume of wastes

INQUIRER FILES

TACLOBAN CITY — With the growing volume of household and commercial waste, the local government here is considering a new approach to waste management.

Jonathan Hijada, chief of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, revealed the city’s interest in adopting plasma technology alongside the existing landfill, given the rising daily waste collection.

Plasma technology is an advanced method of waste management that uses extremely high temperatures to break down waste materials, significantly reducing waste volume into ash.

Unlike incinerators, Hijada said this method is more environmentally friendly as it would not use any fire to burn the waste materials.

Though plasma technology offers significant environmental benefits, Hijada acknowledged that it is costly with an estimated price tag of up to P150 million.

“That’s why we’re seeking approval from Mayor (Alfred) Romualdez,” he said in a media interview on Nov. 18.

“However, in the long run, it will be more cost-effective for the city,” he added.

Tacloban’s current sanitary landfill is projected to reach full capacity next year.

Built in 2019 at a cost of more than P86 million, the existing facility was initially expected to last for at least 10 years.

Currently, the city collects between 100 and 147 tons of waste daily.

Hijada said they are planning to present the use of plasma technology to Romualdez, while still operating the sanitary landfill located in Barangay San Roque, which is about 13 kms away from the city proper.

“Our current landfill is expected to be full by mid-December next year, so we would need to establish another landfill, at least half a hectare in size, to manage the increasing waste volume,” he said.

One of the major advantages of plasma technology is its lifespan of at least 30 years, which would eliminate the need for the city to purchase additional land for a new sanitary landfill.

“All we would need is a machine that occupies just 1,000 square meters, and it would serve us for 20 to 30 years,” Hijada said.

He said plasma technology can also reduce waste by 97%, leaving only about 3% of the materials to be disposed of in the landfill.

Hijada appealed to the public to practice proper waste segregation to help ease the burden on waste management efforts.