After successfully turning recycled plastic into asphalt roads at its test site in Cavite, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is now looking to build bike lanes across the country using this technology. But ‘plastic roads’ aren’t the only things Ramon S. Ang wants to focus on.
During a Summit Media Sandwich Session interview, the SMC big boss himself told us that he actually thinks a better use for these plastics would be as fuel substitutes—and this is something the company is currently doing at its cement plant in Bulacan.
“Yung cement plant namin sa Bulacan, lahat ng plastic na maga-gather doon, binibli namin at ginagawa naming fuel,” said Ang. “Kita mo, two birds with one stone—nagagawang fuel substitute, at naaalis natin yung plastic sa dagat, sa ilog, at sa mga creek. Pati yung mga used tire, ginagamit namin yun as fuel substitute.”
Late last year, the company already announced its plans to buy bigger volumes of plastic waste to fuel its cement manufacturing facilities. This is part of the company’s effort to aid the country in solid waste management as well as to create more livelihood opportunities for Filipinos amid the pandemic.
Also, the company has already completed its materials handling facility in Pangasinan, allowing it to safely collect and store plastic waste on a larger scale and safely convert these wastes into energy, ultimately reducing dependence on fossil fuels and slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
“I hope we can gather all the plastic together and bring that to our cement plant. And there, we can use that as a substitute for fuel—diesel, bunker, or coal,” said Ang. “So kung meron kang alam na kaya mag-supply ng big volume of used plastic, i-refer mo sa akin, at lahat yun bibilhin ko sa kanila para magamit natin at para maalis natin yan sa mga dagat natin, at baka makain pa yan ng isdang kinakain natin sa araw-araw.”
Over to you, readers—what are your thoughts on SMC’s efforts to recycle plastic wastes?
