A MALAYSIAN-SINGAPOREAN company has started conducting a feasibility study for a proposed waste-to-resources project in Davao City, according to a city councilor.
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chairperson of the committee on environment, said the company began its feasibility study on June 15 and is expected to complete the assessment within a month.
Ocampo said the company is currently studying the types and volumes of waste generated by the city, as well as possible processes to convert waste into usable resources.
After completing the feasibility study, the company will submit a proposal detailing the technology it intends to use.
The proposed system would produce Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), a processed fuel made from waste materials that can serve as an alternative to coal in power plants.
If the city government approves the results of the study and the project pushes through, Davao City could become the first city in the country to implement this type of waste-to-resources technology.
The company said it has already implemented similar projects in countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Ocampo said the company sent a letter of intent to the city government to conduct the feasibility study two weeks after the trash slide incident at the New Carmen Sanitary Landfill that resulted in two deaths.
“Ginapaabot lang nato mahuman to ilang feasibility in conducting the study. Data gathering pa sila karon and once maghatag sila’g proposal atoang tan-awon, i-review sa city government,” he said on June 16 at the Sangguniang Panlungsod.
(We are just waiting for them to complete their feasibility study. They are currently in the data-gathering phase, and once they submit their proposal, it will be reviewed by the city government.)
The councilor clarified that the city government would not spend any funds for the feasibility study or the possible implementation of the project, as the company would shoulder the costs.
Ocampo said the company initially approached the local government unit in 2025.
He added that several international companies have reached out to the city government to offer solutions to its waste management challenges. However, he said the city ensures that any proposed technology would be carefully reviewed and should not be similar to the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) project with the Japanese government.
The city government has been exploring long-term solutions to its waste problem following the temporary closure of the New Carmen Sanitary Landfill after the May 20 trash slide incident. RGP
