A PARTNERSHIP with San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is being eyed to repair roads and build bike lanes in Baguio City.

The City Council asked Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Monday, November 30, to look into the possibility of entering into a partnership with SMC to repair roads and build bike lanes in the city using asphalt made from recycled post-consumer plastic.

Councilor Mylen Yaranon, in a resolution, said the city has adopted a policy of revitalizing the environment wherein the local government will take the lead in an effort to intensify environmental protection, preservation, conservation, and replenishment of dwindling resources including drafting and executing long-term solutions that will assuredly provide the most appropriate solid and liquid waste management at the least possible expense.

"People are now fully aware of the hazards that plastic products have on the environment. Every day, an unnumbered amount of used plastic end up in landfills and in our rivers and oceans. Even in the City of Baguio, post-consumer plastic is one of the environmental woes we have to deal with every day," Yaranon said.

The resolutions cited SMC built and started testing the country's first asphalt road made with post-consumer plastic waste in General Trias, Cavite last year, using 180,000 sachets and plastic bags for asphalt that was laid on a 1,500-square-meter pilot test site.

The road used 900 kilos of recycled plastic, which was used as a binder with bitumen to produce the asphalt. The mix was made in partnership with global materials science company Dow.

Based on independent lab testing, the material exceeded the standards set by the Department of Public Works and Highways. This move aims to address the environmental issue on plastic waste.

Today, SMC is planning to build bicycle lanes out of post-consumer plastic waste in partnership with in partnership with cities and provinces.

SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said in a report that the company is looking to work with technology partners and local governments willing to put up dedicated bike lanes to accommodate cyclists whose numbers have risen due to quarantine and transportation restrictions brought about by the Covid - 19 global pandemic.

"The city would greatly benefit from these programs if the City Government of Baguio would enter into a partnership with SMC. Post-consumer plastic asphalt will be used to repair our roads and build our city's bike lanes instead of adding to our plastic problem," Yaranon said.