Hope For Waste
100 days test run at Calajunan
Let’s use our imagination – and not the trash can
AFR Recovery.
Since September 3, 2008, a sleeping giant became alive again at the Calajunan Dumpsite in Iloilo City. Since that day an ongoing test-run recovers Alternative Fuel Resources (AFR) from the waste stream for 100 days. The recovery helps the city in its efforts for waste diversion, and also provides a source of income to a group of waste reclaimers from the dumpsite. The AFR are utilized in the cement production. Partners are the City of Iloilo through it’s General Service Office (GSO), the Environmental Management Bureau – Region 6, Holcim Cement Inc. and the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) through its support project on Solid Waste Management for Local Government Units in the Visayas (SWM4LGUs).
In most European countries land-filling has changed drastically since January 1, 2005. The reason was the long announced binding legislation of the European Union (EU) on the final disposal of solid wastes that came into force on that day. Land-filling of materials with high energy content was prohibited since then. No materials were allowed to be disposed without prior mechanical and biological treatment. The change in policy and legislation caused a significant burden on the Municipal Solid Waste Management utilities, but the lawmaker values the idea of a closed cycle economy, i.e. environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources.
One tonner bags filled with AFR.
But, what is the essential principle of a closed cycle economy? The concept of a closed cycle economy expresses the desire to move away from a linear process of resource extraction, manufacture, consumption and disposal, where there is a minimal re-capture of valuable materials and energy contained in the products, towards a system, where resources remain in use almost indefinitely. Waste can be segregated into plant-based ‘biological nutrients’ that can be returned to the environment as nutrients, and ‘technical nutrients’, i.e. recyclables such as metals and plastics that can be circulated in closed material cycles. A third category is the energetic ‘recycling’, i.e. the re-utilization of energy that is contained in waste materials that can not be recycled in substance. Materials that can neither be recycled in substance nor recycled energetically remain as the actual residual waste, because there is no form of further utilization. In theory this fraction is to be minimized through the famous RRR of Solid Waste Management, which means Reduction of the production of potential waste materials, e.g. packaging, Re-use of materials giving them a second life and Re-cycling of either materials and/or the contained energy into the production process.
According to the Clean Air Act and the Republic Act 9003 - also called Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of the Philippines – the burning of waste however is strongly prohibited in the Philippines. This expresses the understanding of the lawmakers that an uncontrolled burning of waste, as much as the burning of uncontrolled piles of waste with unclear composition is extremely dangerous. Yet, there is a sleeping potential in the utilization of the energy content of some materials in the waste, but how could it be done?
Two prerequisites have to be fulfilled for energetic utilization:
(1)Through a process of valorization, a so called Alternative Fuel Resource is recovered from the waste stream, a quality controllable product with clear attributes and clear composition that functions like any other raw material.
(2)Existing relevant laws and regulations are fully applied in the process, which is to utilize the Alternative Fuel Resource, like for any other raw material as energy source.
The advantages are clearly on hand: reduced extraction of non-renewable resources, use of materials to their full economic potential, less energy consumption, reduced need for final disposal, reduced pressure on environmental sinks, reduction of toxic substances and competitiveness and innovation.
Since September 3, a very important step has been taken along the path towards the future of implementing a close cycle economy and zero-waste policy in Iloilo. What is the set-up? It is fairly simple. The existing central Material Recovery Facility (MRF) has been in place for several years without a regular, continuous use. In August 2008, a MoA was signed between the City of Iloilo, the Environmental Management Bureau – Region 6, as public authorities, Holcim Cement Inc. as a private partner and the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) as an independent third party. The partners are jointly implementing the test run over a period of 100 days. The Calajunan-So-oc-Navais Recyclers Association (CSN), a group representing 220 waste reclaimers at the Calajunan dumpsite, is invited to use the MRF for their recycling activity on a daily base. The waste reclaimers are duly compensated for their efforts in recovering the AFR. All other recovered recycling materials can be freely sold by the reclaimers to the local junkshops. The AFR is utilized in the operation of a cement kiln in Mindanao. All materials are taken from the normal municipal waste stream that arrives at the Calajunan dumpsite every night through the public waste collection. The AFR are packed and stuffed in large bags for transportation. The transport logistics from the dumpsite to the pier is shouldered by the GSO of Iloilo City via truck and further by Holcim Cement from the pier to the cement kiln via ship. The process has been tested by the Department of Science and Technology. In January 2008, the Department has also released a new guideline to regulate the co-processing of Alternative Fuels and Raw Materials (AFR) for cement producers in the Philippines. No hazardous emissions have been detected. The utilization of AFR in cement production is an established process world-wide.
The first 10 weeks of the joint 100-days-test at the central MRF have proven that a waste diversion of 22% can be achieved with the existing technology, thereby extracting AFR, as well as other conventional recycling materials, provided of course that all incoming waste is treated. Interestingly, the test also highlights the possibility to provide livelihood to a significant number of reclaimers, which benefit from better working conditions as well as a steady income that can even exceed the minimum wage. This is a significant step forward compared to the previous conditions at the dumpsite.
Iloilo is piloting this new approach as the first City in the Philippines. As mentioned there is a great potential for increasing waste diversion, increasing the lifespan of landfills, increasing revenues and providing livelihood options to reclaimers, which help the LGUs in their endeavor for Solid Waste Management. Therefore, in other words: Let’s use our imagination – and not the trash can!