Mayor Mauricio Domogan has clarified reports about the proposed waste-to-energy project, which has been reported to solve the city’s problems on waste disposal.

Domogan said he signed the endorsement to the National Economic Development Authority for initial screening and evaluation. “We have to wait for the report from NEDA on the result of their initial screening before we can proceed,” he said.

The mayor said although the proponents have very good offers, they will still have to undergo required government procedures before the proposal is submitted to the city council for approval.

“I think the waste-to-energy proposal will supplement and compliment the Environmental Recycling System (ERS) technology which we have,” he said.

If the project pushes through, the city is under obligation to supply 200 tons of waste daily. The company on the other hand, will collect garbage from the barangays without need for segregation, but they will segregate the biodegradable waste which will still be fed to the ERS machines, the mayor said.

As per proposal, the unnamed company will provide a one hectare area needed for the machine that will be used to convert waste into energy.

The mayor said the company could recoup expenses in 10 years.

“After the 10-year period, they will already give a share to the city,” the mayor said.

The proponent will also post a P30 million cash bond.

After the evaluation from NEDA the proposal will be returned to the technical committee for drafting of a memorandum of agreement, and then will be submitted to the city council for confirmation.

The mayor said the committee will be visiting waste-to-energy facilities so they will know how they operate.

The mayor added the city government is not abandoning plans of setting-up a landfill and is hopeful the environmental compliance certificate for the Ampucao site will be released soon.