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Prime Integrated Waste Solutions Inc. (PWS) inaugurated on Monday, January 29, its automated Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Cebu that uses state-of-the-art equipment for waste segregation and storage—a first in the Philippines.

PWS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prime Infra, was established in response to the increasing demand for proper waste management and resource recovery solutions in industrialized and fast-growing cities in the Philippines. PWS’ model is based on Prime Infra’s overall objective to convert recovered resources into sustainable fuels.

“I need not tell you how groundbreaking this is because this is in fact the first in the country,” said DENR Secretary Ma. Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga.

“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. 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 said.

The DENR secretary also lauded PWS for the “social impact of this transition in solid waste management technology” by incorporating the informal waste picker sector into the process.

PWS Chair Katrina Razon said the “state-of-the-art MRF embodies innovation, and our commitment to building a regenerative future.”

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.

“As we gather here today, 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 added.

Also present during the inauguration were Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama, Consolacion Mayor Teresa Alegado, Cebu City Councilors, DENR Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna, and Director Steve Paradies, President and CEO Guillaume Lucci, Regulatory Officers Donato Almeda and Vince Dizon, Chief Financial Officer Sandy Alipio, Chief Legal Officer Philip Ranada, Chief Administrative Officer Minerva Matibag and Market Sector Lead for Waste Cara Peralta of Prime Infra.

“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,” said Peralta.

“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. Our goal is to further enhance our process flow and to essentially go back to our original objective of turning waste into sustainable fuels to further reduce methane emissions and for our country to be able to provide sustainable fuels to the global market,” she added.

Rama, for his part, congratulated PWS for keeping its commitment to make the facility at par with world-class MRFs in other developed countries like Singapore.

“I’ve been [telling] the Razon Group and company that I want to be here for the first time,” said Rama. “I was assured that it’s going to be state-of-the-art…because the proof of the pudding is in the eating. So, I have seen the equipment, kindly give them a round of applause.”

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