The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), urged cement makers to explore ways of utilizing plastic waste as raw material to help reduce the country’s solid waste generation by at least 40 percent.
“When all these cement plants will participate, we can dramatically reduce the volume of plastic waste which will be now regarded as raw materials of the cement plants in their current processing… This measure will reduce by 40 to 60 percent the volume of plastic waste,” said William Cuñado, EMB director.
Cuñado said in a statement several cement firms have adopted the conversion of plastic waste into energy. The participation of the local government units through their solid waste management efforts are also being sought.
Jonas Leones, DENR undersecretary for policy, planning and international affairs, said election campaign materials made out of plastics can be recycled by cement plants.
“Plastic tarpaulins are also used in co-processing, in energy. These are mixed into cement as fillers; sometimes these are used to create pots… Plastic tarpaulins are melted to have some other products out of these plastics,” Leones said.
The DENR said it continues to address the problem of single-use plastics with the recent approval of the national plan of action on plastic litter.
“We are supporting the principle of circular economy and extended producer responsibility… For us, we are just preparing the policy that would hopefully give incentives to the industries for them to avoid using single-use plastics,” Leones said. – Jed Macapagal
