Bacolod to develop waste-to-energy hub with DOE support

BACOLOD CITY — Bacolod City is partnering with the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a 25.7-hectare Bacolod Integrated Recycling and Technology Hub (BIRTH) that will include a Waste to Energy (WtE) industrial zone, making it one of the first local government units outside Metro Manila to pilot the program.

The initiative, led by the administration of Mayor Gregg C. Gasataya, aims to address solid waste management through a sustainable and innovative approach that maintains compliance with existing waste management laws while introducing advanced residual waste treatment.

The Solid Waste Management Board (SWMB) and Anti-Baha Alliance are supporting the Bacolod City local government unit in advancing the WtE project, which is a cornerstone of the city’s 10-year solid waste management plan covering 2024 to 2033.

The facility has the potential to generate up to 15 megawatts of electricity by converting the city’s waste into sustainable power.

The city-owned facility is situated adjacent to the existing five-hectare sanitary landfill in Barangay Felisa and will serve households across the city.

Under the plan, waste segregation, recycling, and composting remain the city’s priority and will continue to be implemented as the primary waste management strategies.

The WtE component will only process residual waste — the portion of waste that remains after segregation, recycling, and composting have been completed.

Atty. Juliana Carbon, president of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized the importance of this development.

“A Waste-to-Energy solution is really needed considering the bulk of the garbage that we have. Based on their data, one landfill can already be filled up in just a year and six months. We need a new technology for processing waste,” Carbon said.

She added that the approach not only addresses landfill capacity issues but also promotes community-wide adoption of reuse, recycling, and composting practices.

“We suggested ways that the city should find solutions to the garbage problem, and of course, promote reuse and recycling,” Carbon explained.

Dionisio Dela Cruz of the Bacolod Anti-Baha Alliance noted that waste-to-energy is positioned at the end of the waste management hierarchy — avoid, reuse, recycle, compost, and dispose — and will be utilized only after other waste reduction measures have been put in place.

“This initiative will help the city in reducing our waste, based on what I understand during the meeting, although at first I have some reservations, but after hearing the explanation, I understand that waste-to-energy is last in the hierarchy, after all the processes, from avoidance to composting. I hope it will serve as a message to the community to cooperate in waste management,” Dela Cruz said.

Social Action Center Director Fr. Julius Espinosa of the Diocese of Bacolod commended the DOE and Bacolod local government unit for the WtE program, while stressing the need for stronger policy implementation to ensure public compliance with solid waste management guidelines.

He said stronger implementation would help reduce residual waste and ease the city’s garbage burden.

“There are already ordinances on single-use plastic; we might as well revisit those ordinances or laws we can implement to effectively reduce the waste,” Espinosa said.

The BIRTH facility will serve as a dedicated hub for residual waste treatment and energy recovery, following the model used in countries such as Japan, Singapore, Sweden, and Denmark.

These countries have adopted similar systems based on the principle of maximizing recovery first, managing residuals smartly, and demanding strict safeguards to reduce landfill dependence.

A resolution formalizing the adoption of the Waste-to-Energy Integration and Implementation Framework has been drafted and is slated for approval by the city council and subsequent submission to the National Solid Waste Management Commission.

The program is expected to help the city avoid the cost of purchasing land for additional landfills, reduce waste dumping, and convert residual waste into electricity instead of sending it to landfills.

The city government said the initiative represents a shift toward a more sustainable solution for maintaining cleaner streets and surroundings without incurring the additional costs associated with expanding landfill capacity.

The partnership with the DOE formalizes Bacolod City’s participation in the national government’s efforts to promote waste-to-energy technologies as part of the country’s broader solid waste management and energy security strategies. (BCCO PR)